They Come In Threes

This is something that people say. You know, People. The vague masses out there somewhere who say things. Anyhow, it is often said that deaths and good things come in threes. In this case it is happily good things, or more accurately accomplished things. First off, we had final dress of the show last night and the costumes are looking splendid, if I do say so myself. I have to see it with a hoard of donors on Saturday night, and tonight I have to go back after the performance for photocall, but I at least get to enjoy a few hours this evening of peace and relaxation with the puppy who has coped marvelously with Mommy's strange schedule over the last week.

That's not to say that I wasn't productive in other areas. Though it took me a few days of work in fits and starts, I was able to put together the potting bench. This was a trial and although I hardly ever leave reviews I'll be giving some feedback on this one. I bought it through Amazon but from a 3rd party supplier, and the pieces arrived with a weird smell almost like incense, which is okay especially since it would end up outside anyhow. The problems lay in the fact that the pieces were not all clearly marked, being sort of stamped in black on a dark brown surface and with some of the stamps being not entirely there. That can, as you might imagine, make a big difference when you are looking for piece B versus P. I did figure it out with help from the diagrams, which, like the greenhouse, had no words. There was a lot of guesswork and reasonable estimation. The true problems came in the fact that many of the pieces had no pre-drilled guide holes, so you did have to estimate or more accurately measure for where the screws would go into the adjoining piece. Oh, and you absolutely had to have an electric screwdriver for this one, which was not apparent when purchased, but luckily I do have one. In one case there were holes, and the screws were so close to an edge that they split right through it and I had to drill my own holes slightly further in and put the screws there instead. You know what though? I did it, with my own ingenuity and labor; and during a most unwelcome snow shower today I got it out the door, down the steps, and into the greenhouse where (true to measurements) it fit just perfectly (read: barely) into the other short side of the structure.

Prior to moving the potting bench I did lay down some more sand and level the floor (thanks to my Dad for the large level he gave me for Christmas a few years ago, despite thinking it was for my ex). Then I covered over with more weed barrier and staked it. More paving stones should pave the way (I'm so punny), for the rest of the gravel to go in tomorrow or this weekend.

Not being in tech for the first evening in almost a week has afforded me one other luxury; the ability to cook an actual meal. So tonight I fried some plantains and sprinkled them with goat cheese, honey, and slivered almonds. I think next time I'll substitute the almonds with pistachios, but otherwise it was pretty good. The natural sweetness of the plantains with the honey was well-balanced by the slight sourness of the goat cheese. All the yard work lately, hauling giant bags of soil, sand, and gravel and piles of paving stones, has yielded some nice results. I've lost five pounds in the last month! Given that I wasn't specifically trying to do that and didn't change my eating habits I think it's safe to say it was the yard work. Another good reason to keep at it.

A big box with the makings of a shelf unit will have to wait until I've determined that the greenhouse really won't be overstuffed by that, but I do need somewhere to put seed trays as they grow. Then again, the wintry-for-now weather suggests that it's not yet time for them anyhow. Still no Hellebores, only a few stray blossoms of Winter Jasmine so far, but I can be patient.That's one of the great lessons of a garden.