the same time fully engaged in bringing some form out of chaos. The most phys
ical effort I’ve undertaken over the past many years has been wielding a pen and
a whisk. Mid bend I wondered if I was, in fact, digging my own grave. (Later, the
effort lessened as my body adapted and gained both flexibility and strength. For
both, I am amazed and grateful!)
When all the beds were mildly raised, we covered them again with plasticto rid the soil mix of its additional wetness, since it had rained solidly during
the entire exercise. Then we got the 3 yards of cedar sawdust for filling in the
pathways. My but it looked good when dry and yellow, but then, this too would
pass! We determined the locations of the plants we’d try and stepped out the
fence line we’d need to keep the critters out.
Enter my next new friend: Richard Mattreus,a local expert at excluding deer, rabbits, and
other charming wildlife that were well
MY NEED-TO-KNOW LIST • 25