Patch of Dirt.

Do you see the patch of dirt that is waiting for planting?

It is still in the same condition weeks after we had paid someone clear the brambles and till the soil.

Why the delay?

The water pump that provides water for irrigation quit working. In this part of the world it rains all the time, until it stops in June. Then, we are on our own. If we want the small seedlings to grow, we need to provide daily moisture until their roots can find water further down, the water table here is quite high.

Last fall we had a well pump installed to bring water from the ground, filter it, and then circulate it as needed in each part of this garden. Besides this area, my husband and his helper had cleared three other areas. In total, we now have four new areas to plant vegetables and fruit canes and bushes. The plan was perfect: a designated area for my new cherry trees and berry patches, an area for cut flowers, and an additional area for seasonal vegetables, one for summer veggies, one for fall/winter, and one for cover crops, rotating each season.

We stopped the planting and tried to fix the pump problem. Our contractor who had installed the device last year came to take a look. He too couldn't solve the problem. The solution was to either replace the pump, a new pump shouldn't have quit, or see if it was an electrical connection problem.

You guessed . The electrical company has appeared to search the ground for the connections. Then the contractor reappeared with a digger , up and down the hill, digging and discovering where the conduit had rotted and needed replacement. We're in this too deeply now to quit.

If we harvest anything this year, we'll have to bond these products in advance. We will enjoy every bite, knowing how much they cost to produce.

In addition, as I tended the roses, some little critter bit me and caused my arm to turn red overnight. So, I called my doctor, who is one hour away. The office tells me to go to the emergency room of the clinic because everyone is booked solid. I spent an entire afternoon at the clinic to have a doctor look at my red arm, prescribe an anti-inflammatory that I must take for six days which will case me all kinds of side effects , and stay out of the garden. Great. I couldn't even move my arm to drive.