Christmas has rolled around, snuck up on me, and in the spirit of non-consumerism I refuse to buy a dying tree no matter how festive it is. Plenty of years I've been there, done that and am left feeling a bit guilty at the end of the day. At left is my tomato cage tree, wrapped first in chicken wire, then in lights, and draped with a lot of homemade decorations collected and made over a lotta lotta years. (Okay, so it's a little hard to appreciate in a photo, but I assure you that it looks perfect at night with the lights on.)
End of year update: This seems a good time to update anyone interested on the progress, or lack thereof, of the garden at Cenote. If you've ventured over to have a look, all you'll see is a bunch of dirt and leaves in the four raised beds, not a leafy green to be found. Though we planted our garden at home on the very same day as Cenote's gardens with the very same seed and were eating fresh lettuce out of it about four weeks later, Cenote's plants never got bigger than sprouts! The difference? SOIL! I will not name the vendor who supplied the soil but suffice it to say, the soil was not what it was cracked up to be. Not even close since it actually contained the word "compost" in the name of the mix. Sadly, this was not compost. We've resigned ourselves to the fact that for this season, we are building soil only, providing it with coffee grounds and cardboard (carbon and nitrogen) in the hope of creating true compost in which to plant when February (next planting time) rolls around.
Finally, at the end of each year I try to stop and make note of the things that I tend to take for granted. Gratitude time: I am so so so grateful for all the new young friends I've made at Cenote this year. Here I am in the autumn of my years (early autumn I hope), and I'm surrounded by all these incredible young souls. I'm so grateful to have had the chance to get to know them all this year. Best present ever.
End of year update: This seems a good time to update anyone interested on the progress, or lack thereof, of the garden at Cenote. If you've ventured over to have a look, all you'll see is a bunch of dirt and leaves in the four raised beds, not a leafy green to be found. Though we planted our garden at home on the very same day as Cenote's gardens with the very same seed and were eating fresh lettuce out of it about four weeks later, Cenote's plants never got bigger than sprouts! The difference? SOIL! I will not name the vendor who supplied the soil but suffice it to say, the soil was not what it was cracked up to be. Not even close since it actually contained the word "compost" in the name of the mix. Sadly, this was not compost. We've resigned ourselves to the fact that for this season, we are building soil only, providing it with coffee grounds and cardboard (carbon and nitrogen) in the hope of creating true compost in which to plant when February (next planting time) rolls around.
Finally, at the end of each year I try to stop and make note of the things that I tend to take for granted. Gratitude time: I am so so so grateful for all the new young friends I've made at Cenote this year. Here I am in the autumn of my years (early autumn I hope), and I'm surrounded by all these incredible young souls. I'm so grateful to have had the chance to get to know them all this year. Best present ever.
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