Few days ago I got a phone call from my very best friend I know for more than 10 years, she lives abroad and we have rare chances to see each other. Usually our talks lasts for hour and more... I was on break, between watering, yes, watering the plants in March, unbelievable but true. Due to the mild winter and the lack of winter cover, the land is dry, now when moisture is most needed. She lives in the city, although she is well acquainted with life in the countryside (and on one occasion we went to pick blackberries together to raise money), her question: What do you do all day there? You are never nearby your phone, nor you answer me on the messages fast. Made me laugh.
I'm watering the plants, at this moment grabbing a coffee break, catching the sun and straightening legs and back, was the answer. She laughed out loud... And I know exactly what that smile meant, she doesn't know me like that, this current me, who digs the property, plants the garden, does the laundry, cooks lunches, gets up early in the morning... Even I laugh at myself sometimes, especially when I catch my eye with a makeup case full of products that I gradually empty as the deadline expires.
So how does one of my days in the household go?
I get up at 7 a.m. at the latest, while the water for the coffee is boiling, I go to the bathroom, while sipping coffee I browse through what's new on Hive, take a quick look at the news (less and less lately), choose my work outfit and I'm out. In the case that I didn't plan anything the night before, and there are rare occasions when I didn't, I look for some obligation or see what needs to be done most urgently. Along the way I find a new toy, like this sprinkler for example. With a capacity of 5 liters, it is most often used when treating plants with insecticide or any other preparations. But what it is also great for is watering newly planted seeds or showering plants.
One of the gadgets that works great under pressure.:D
And then my curiosity piqued around it, to see what this little wonder is capable of, that button the photo above serves to release air.
First it has to be pumped and create pressure that will push the water out. At the very end of the dropper, there is an adjustment that adjusts the stream of water, spraying or a more intensive stream.
Half an hour of playing and trying around, thanks to which the roses received artificial dew.
After planting most of the veggies, an anxious thought came to my mind, I am responsible for whether we will have food! Ugh...I didn't think about it too much before. At the moment, we are putting every possible amount of money into the garden, buying seeds, equipment, a well that is planned to be dug, a chicken coop...
Literally power down serves me for that, does that mean that our property is partially sponsored by #Hive?
Yes it is, and I am infinitely grateful for that.
Some plants still aren't sprouting even tho they should, and that makes me nervous...
I have to water them! I have to give them a little push!
Here you can clearly see lumps of dry earth that can only be broken by a strong squeeze. A small weak plant can hardly break through it.
A future aromatic garden, for now it contains lavender, selenium and calendula. I plan to use each of them in many ways, in the future I would like to learn how to make lavender oil, soaps and candles. So, my clear plan is to live on the homestead and live off it, from all the possible products it will bring us.
But all that takes time and quite a bit of investment, at least the initial ones, and I know that I won't be looking for a classic job anymore (it's just that in my country the point of working for someone has lost its meaning, for employees ofc).
Soaked to the core!
Although the homestead requires heavy physical effort, it relaxes me at the same time, I have no regrets. My brain is calm (except for a few twitches when certain situations trigger me), I don't mind the fact that my pants are stained, my hands are soiled, and that my hair is tied more like a nest than a bun.
The next stop is the veggie garden.
Swiss chard, this is the second year that it leaves and the yield has already dropped noticeably, the plant is starting to dry from the roots, which harms the young leaves that are developing and are potentially at risk from grazing bugs.
I gave her all 5 liters of water, because that's what she loves, I parked the sprinkler, set it up to do the work on its own while I ran for a cart and a couple of balloons filled with water. That's about the most difficult part of the job, transporting water that is quite far from the garden 5x6l = 30 (I made two tours), that's why we need a well, in order to install an irrigation system that would work during the night when the temperature is mild.
At least I found out that I need about 60 liters of water for the entire planted area.
On the way to with my new toy... It took me about 4 hours in total, too slow I know, too time consuming, but I'm a slow person, so I'm fine with it.
I try to water the green vegetables early in the morning, so that they have a handful of sun during the day and create chlorophyll, and the rest at sunset.
The next morning while I was sipping coffee and walking trough the garden, sprouted lettuce, radishes and calendula greeted me.
What a relief, they are coming out!