The Garden Begins
Today my tailor told me that I reminded him of a Venus fly trap — pretty to look at, but definitely a biter. This followed an intimate conversation about my upbringing and self-sufficiency. I try my best not to talk about anything that has happened in my life before age 21. The dialogue was rough, but very refreshing. In the same conversation, he also called me a remarkable profiler…. I might need to sit with that one for a while.
Whenever I start a new job and the schedule is flexible, I try to request Mondays off (or WFH). So this past Monday, I felt it was a great opportunity to rest my body and more importantly, my brain. I started my day later than usual before zipping away to the other size of PA suburbs for a Facebook Marketplace pick up. As a previous professional furniture flipper, I know when I see a good deal on Marketplace. Over the last six months, I have been getting rid of everything Alexa or Amazon related from my home. Everything is clunky, unflattering, laggy, and I absolutely despise the unethical environment that exists within the walls of Amazon. I had got rid of my echos, dots, the doorbell, and switched everything over to google. My car runs on google, as well as the google home devices that I got on a random clearance at Walmart last fall. Being with a crap doorbell was taking a tiny toll on me.
Honestly, there are better things that I could have done with this money but let me enjoy my life, ok?
So when I checked on Marketplace for my usual activity (low balling people for Kitchenaid attachments), the best deal ever popped up. Someone in the rich side of town was selling their Google Nest doorbell for $80, regular price $180. Box opened, unused, and he provided proof of purchase directly from google. I told him “ill give you $40 cash and pick up tomorrow at 3” – Accepted.
I picked up my new doorbell, did a little inspection, and then headed to Sephora for an exchange. It was incredibly tempting to pick up more skincare goodies while there, but I was on a mission! I then made my way to Walmart for some gardening supplies like soil and a plastic growing tray.
I got home about an hour later and then got to work preparing these seeds for transplanting outside within the next few weeks. The last frost is right around the corner. I needed to move quickly! On this tray, I did a light mist of water, a moderate layer of soil, and then these toilet paper rolls that I had been saving for this project. I cut the toilet rolls in half, filled them with soil and then topped them off with seeds. Covered the seeds evenly and placed the tray by a drafty patio door.
As I have mentioned before, I get my seeds from the library in my area where a local gardening club donates thousands of seeds every year to help people fall more in love with nature’s offerings and also create some biodiversity in the area!
These are all that I planted so far.
I anticipate that this project will teach me patience. I lost someone close to me last Thursday and I am taking a bit more time to smell the roses and find a way to work less, while also not missing out on all of the opportunities around me. Grief is weird, being a young adult in 2025 is even weirder. I’m not sure how many more reminders the universe can send me for me to SLOW DOWN.
Here are links to things I’ve used so far to ensure that my patio is boasting with greenery and nutritious vegetables this spring into summer:
