As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
Obviously I have rubbed off on the Viking and there is no cure.
Dearest Sisters,
You know, you’re killing me with these essays about gardens. I dug up half the front yard in present-day war-torn south MPLS Phillips neighborhood back in the late 70’s, and counted on my subscription to Organic Gardening for help. Attempted to implement everything suggested to succeed, and actually got some stuff to grow, but especially just enjoyed the rainbow of variations of green all the different plants presented (Dr. Garden here) and being out in it, as green is my favorite color, and that choice was justified eventually by the appearance of a DC comics hero named Green Lantern. What cool powers his ring bestowed upon him! Think I eventually got to run a Troy-bilt thru that urban field, which was very satisfying, holding that sucker in place until it dug it’s own grave. Didn’t own it, and don’t remember whose it was, but never had the money for all those dreams. That whole exercise was always extremely, unforgettably soothing, however, which has been a theme here for awhile. Just finished an article earlier today entitled “No Country for Old Age” by a seemingly sympathetic author which included these lines: “There is no space here for stillness or release, no sense of value or consolation in the evening of life. Even cultivating spirituality is framed instrumentally in terms of promoting “better physical and mental health in old age.”17 An imperative to defeat aging and even death can only consign these realities to fear, shame, and avoidance.” Author’s name, Joseph E. Davis. Liked the whole essay, actually. So anyways, those culminating days of harvest are not something this tree shaded paradise will afford, because I’m the original tree-hugger, thus the angst. Nice German word, eh? I hope. Well, as soon as some things start to work here, speaking of watering gardens, there should be the beginning of a cornucopia of joy spilling forth also.Until then, and somehow I have no control over the managing of this mail, I remain
Sincerely Yours,The Viking
I grinned when I saw the Viking's letter in mentioning Organic Gardening and the era the Viking mentioned as I too read all of those pretty pocket sized magazines. I was just telling TL the other day about Robert Rodale who died tragically in a plane crash, as his empire never was the same, just like the Victory Garden was never worth a shit after Bob Crocker died.
Robert Rodale was a real organic farmer, as was his father who actually was the godfather of modern gardening in America. He took a run down old plot of land in Pennsylvania and restored it. The problem is though in the message is what I told TL, in you need about 160 acres of other land, along with pigs and cattle to nourish 40 acres of organic land to bring it up to snuff.
I never had use of a rototiller. Lord God I want one. I wanted a Troybuilt with the rear wheel drive and weighed like a prize steer, but like the Viking that was not happening. I did have a Vibrashank International digger though, which was the best farming implement ever invented, and with that behind a 560 International tractor, would bury that digger to about 2 feet, and dig length, width and diagonal, spring and fall, and there never was a problem with planting things.
I also had a Farmhand loader with a Super M tractor which I would dump two foot deep piles of composted cow shit from the feedlot onto that garden.
Someone hauling cattle here, once drove on that garden and sank to the frame. The Vibrashank and cow shit made me a very good gardener.
In Organic Gardening though they always had interesting stories when Robert Rodale was alive. After his death the magazine just sucked as the people were all leftist nits who sucked. I did though fall into profound lust, which I have mentioned in an ad which ran in OG for Ford utility tractors.
Dear God in Heaven, I still have the big LUST for one of them as they no longer make them, but they are so pretty, and when God comes through with prying money from the rich, this is one thing I will acquire, with loader, rototiller, digger and maybe a snow blower if I have a cab on it.
Garden soil will obey me with a tractor like this as I scoot into ever corner where no weed or rock can hide.
OG had an article on these tractors in someone who had the 12,000 for them back in the day, and that guy said, "I was surprised all the things I found to put into that bucket to make my life easier".
America was a better place in those years, the hope of Reagan was coming and we were trying to build something in regenerating in working with the land instead of the Obama communist preserve.
The Viking mentioning OG brought back a flow of memories and loves. Of Baltic women raising rabbits in Kentucky along with their garden to eat, and that old couple in Florida which said, "You can throw citrus seeds out the window and the things will grow, but you got to put in lots of dry matter into this sand as this heat burns it out and all you are left with is sand........and the person with the long soil fork who said you got to let your soil see the moon and stars or the garden won't grow. Dig DEEP is what they were teaching.
I read everything and I catalogued all that information and still use it, along with other things I came up with, other things picked up, and other things from farming experience.
Our pioneer garden is still not obedient. The soil is not all agreeable to becoming mallow in it wants to stick together like a brick, but I am making it breathe, absorb water and letting roots of good things become one with the soil. It will be fed composted manure and I will have tractors and attachments to make it agree with me, as it yields it's bed of rocks along with it's coming produce to Glorify God.
People who garden never riot or cause problems for the most part, providing they are not city asstards who have piles of money, live in places any idiot can make things grow, and then pretend they are good at gardening. Garden in Labrador or south Texas in summer, and then we will see if you are a gardener or not.
To this day, I still go on Craigslist and delight when one of these 1980's Fords show up. I still look for them and smile every time I see one as the lust has never abated, even if my gardening engine is me with a potato fork.
Once again, another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
Nuff Said
agtG
