I’ve missed a deadline for the roof. One side of the roof has been closed for a while now. But there was still the second side. There, I hadn’t even taken off the old roofing material. And the wood was only the first of three layers. Friends were coming to help with the second layer.…

It’s time to make some progress. The start of the semester is approaching fast. I long decided that the garden isn’t allowed to add stress to my life. Still, some things need to get done. Other things just help to clear the head. I don’t tend to set goals. Meeting deadlines is a game in…

I was almost done with the first half of the roof. When I put it in, I realized the hut was a lot more off kilter than I’d thought. I’d have to do it all again. The last row was a little shorter than the rest, so I had to learn how to use a…

The terrace in my abandoned garden is falling apart everywhere. As I needed a flat surface for a workbench to continue the roof repair, it was time to tear it up and build a temporary new one. Everyone called me crazy when I adopted this neglected land. Most of the time, I don’t blame them.…

When I adopted this abandoned piece of land, I knew the roof would be a major project. Some days, I think this roof will be the end of me. I underestimated how long even the simpler tasks like carrying in roofing supplies would take. I can only carry one board at a time due to…

The blackberries are ripe! I had to harvest them but my land was so overgrown that an afternoon of harvesting turned into a fight with the brambles. Three days of cutting and trimming, and I finally had a harvest–but the blackberries are far from finished. Waking up to sunshine is a rare treat. When the…

A few weeks ago, I adopted a neglected piece of land. There is endless work here but also endless potential. My hands are itching to get into the soil, build beds, and start the actual garden. Before I can do any of that, I have to fix the garden hut roof. The temporary fix I…

The previous owner left a lot of trash in the garden hut that needed to be dealt with. Eager to work outside but with rain always on the horizon, I spent an afternoon cleaning it all out. Progress! Eager to work on the land, the rain feels mocking. It’s been weeks and weeks of gray,…

It has been at least eight years since anyone cared for the piece of land that I am turning into a garden to grow food and spend afternoons with a good book in the hammock. Parts of the land are so overgrown that I couldn’t access them. Time for some clean-up. There are blackberries all…