Seeds of Change

I am one of those goofy people
that takes every little thing
as a sign or symbol
or maybe
I just read too many books as a kid and have learned to make foreshadowing
a part of my life
was that good foreshadowing?

This year, Aaron and have struggled for many reasons
one, my son is growing at an astronomical rate
which means he's eating at an astronomical rate...
we also have very high home heating costs
in spite of our best efforts to be green, turn down the heat...
it has been
a challenge
after covering the windows
one of our leaky doors
and closing off rooms for the winter
we got two 1000 bills in a row
it's an old house
and an old furnace
and things became a vicious cycle
can't get a new furnace because we have to pay the heat bill
can't pay the heat bill because we need a new furnace
sadly, someone froze to death hear in Michigan after his heat was shut off
so the company has been more than willing to work with us
but work with us does not mean wipe the bill away....

So we've been looking at every method to spend less
looking at how and what we're spending
and what is simply excess and what is needed
our grocery bill is one thing that stands out
we already shop at what we call the ghetto food store
the one that requires you pay for your cart
and bring your own bags and bag your groceries yourself
it has no regular brand names
and is very cheap
but our food bill is still very high
probably close to $400 per month
I mean, I live with a man/child that has grown over 2 inches in 2 months
the kid also works out for sports all the time
so he is an eating/sleeping/growing machine
his lunch yesterday was 2 hot dogs
a half of a family size bag of chips
two yogurt cups
and a bowl of ice cream
then he went to sleep...
this is normal

So, this Spring we decided to kick it old school
like my Grandmother
and grow our own little veggie garden
I have never
in all my years been able to grow a veggie garden
especially not from seeds
especially not from seeds and trying to be organic
with bugs, rabbits, squirrels, and more city deer per square mile than people
it was going to be a challenge


But, I am happy to announce
I have tomato plants
cabbage
lettuce
pumpkin
squash
hot peppers
green peppers
dill
basil
cilantro
cucumbers
green beans
peas
corn
and carrots
growing in my garden
and while the are not certified organic
I have used only organic products
to keep the pests at bay
Buddy the wonder mutt
has done a fantastic job
chasing squirrels
and after the great bunny massacre last spring
when Buddy found a nest of baby bunnies and thought they were toys
batting at them, tail wagging
until they stopped moving...
no rabbits
we use a seaweed based spray for the bugs
a fence keeps the city deer away
and the soil in this town is as black and rich as potting soil

I see this as a sign, because, foreshadowing, right?
so Aaron and I decide other changes are in order
and major changes are coming this summer
thus you will see major changes in my blog
like a segment I am calling Garage Sale Tales
and the relaunch
of my old blog
"A Year of Living Green."
which I attempted several years ago
got discouraged with the heat bill
so I quit
FAILED
I am ready to start fresh and see where it takes me and my family

In honor of a part of my childhood, lost