A Summer of Learning to Adapt

It’s been awhile since I have written anything. While the summer has been mostly a string of cancelled events, disrupted routines, masked people in public and uncertainty; there have been some cool things that have happened.

My container garden is flourishing this year. After three years I have gotten the hang of it. I have a Beef Master Tomato plant that is over 6’ tall and producing tomatoes the size of softballs. My herb pot is overflowing and cucumbers, peppers, zucchini and cherry tomatoes are producing nicely. Champ informed me the other day that I had 24 pots planted on our site! My pollinator habitats are thriving after taking last year to get established and yes, the butterflies and bees are visiting in large numbers.

Giant BeefMaster in background nearly 7 feet tall!

Close up of the BeefMaster heavy with fruit

Drive Entrance one of my two Pollinator habitats

The highlight of the summer so far, is my decision to buy another motorcycle. Eight years after selling mine, I decided it was time to start riding again. Some of my stimulus dollars are now in the form of a beautiful 1999 Green and Cream Honda Shadow. The nagging doubts of whether I would get into it again and remember how to ride, blew away in the breeze as I took off from the home of the man I bought it from on a 100 degree evening and set out on the  70 mile ride home. Within the first 10 miles I was back in the saddle ( so to speak) and feeling the freedom only a motorcycle rider or horseman feels with the wind blowing across you as you lean through the curves of the winding midwestern two lane blacktop back roads.

Bringing 'er home

Me And My Shadow

The honeymoon has not ended with my Garden Center job. I don’t think it will. It’s more like a comfortable old marriage. When I started working for them in early May, they were the only major retailer in central Iowa requiring both guests and staff to wear masks. That policy was set to expire in late June. I couldn’t imagine working outdoors in the extreme Iowa heat and humidity wearing a mask and hoped for a cool June. Flashforward to late July, and we are still wearing masks, other retailers have joined my employer in the mask mandates and the heat is searing here this year. The mask sucks, I won’t mince words. Today the thermometer that hangs on the wall between the covered and outdoor garden center space reached 100 degrees. More days than not this year we are in the lower 90’s by lunch time. Oddly, everyone seems to be adapting the extreme discomfort of having our face covered in the heat. I drink a lot of water and am taking about a 90-minute nap every day after work. Despite that, I am quite at home spending mornings caring for the plants and stocking gardening freight at the store always grateful that I get out of there at midday before the really bad late afternoon and evening heat settles over the department. Like every other part time job I pick up here and there I learn something new at each one. I have never used a pallet jack but it has quickly become my best friend in the garden center. I've also learned about some plants I wasn't previously that familiar with as a result of taking care of the entire inventory of plants and trees. There is always room to learn something new! 

My New Best Friend at Work

The weight on most full timers shoulders this summer, is what we are going to do this winter. As COVID numbers skyrocket in the areas frequented by snowbirds we are all feeling uncertain. After some exhaustive conversation we decided to withdraw from the position we were offered at a big resort in Mesa.  Arizona will have to wait for another year. At the end of all the discussion we decided two things. First if we are healthy and travel is possible, we would just as soon be bored where it is warm rather than bored in the frozen north. Second, we want to be somewhere familiar. That being said we made a reservation at a park outside of Mathis, Texas where we stayed for 8 weeks a couple of years ago. We met several couples there that we have stayed in contact with. We are both relieved to have as firm a plan as one can have these days. Of course, we both realize that the world could go straight to hell between now and then and we could be forced to stay in Iowa this winter, but we aren’t dwelling on it for now.

Momma Robin feeding her babies

The feeling of normalcy comes each time we see the kids and grandkids. I have been watching a pair Robins, nesting in the tree next to my patio feed their three babies the past couple of days and look forward to watching them fledge soon. We are finally in something of a routine after a very unsettled spring when we arrived back in Iowa.  The rest of the time we try to roll with all the changed procedures and new ways of existing in public. It is a world gone mad for sure, but we are getting used to being full timers in these uncertain times. Changes are achieving permanency all around us. Like everyone else, we just don’t know which changes will have staying power and which ones will subside over the next months. I can’t help but wonder what work camping will look like three years from now. 

Until Next Time…

This Could Be You!

There seem to be two types of full timers. Those who roam almost constantly and those, like us who stay put in different places for long periods of time.  We come back to the same area each summer to spend time with family and friends and chose a different winter destination each year taking our time meandering our way to and from. 

One thing that people tell me frequently is they miss their gardens and flowerbeds. The thought of giving up mine was a huge hurdle and almost a deal breaker. One of the things I like the best about our brand of full timing is I still have fresh veggies in arms reach and lots of flowers, especially in the summer. 

Years ago we used to camp at a big reservoir south of our home town and there was a camp host with a site planted within an inch of its life. I always thought it was the coolest thing. I wondered what the yard at her home looked like because her site looked fabulous.  I have never forgotten her site and have strived to achieve that since we became full time.  Thanks to the ability to return to our home base here at Saylorville in the same site each year and the Rangers willingness to let us plant in the ground and make our sites beautiful I have become that woman I admired years ago. There are many sites here that have been improved and planted. Some of the volunteers who created these luscious, homey areas have moved on but their legacy remains. 

Five weeks into the growing season, things are looking pretty fabulous at site # 7.  Champ was sitting on the patio the other day an informed me I had 24 pots with stuff growing in them. How did that happen? In addition I have 4 sections of plantings directly in the Iowa earth. In all, I have two tomato plants, Butternut Squash, Zucchini, Cucumber all spaced far apart so they don't cross pollinate, Snow Peas, Carrots, two varieties of bell pepper and banana peppers, 6 types of herbs, three varieties of lettuce and spinach. My friend gave me some Hostas that surround my tree and grow in the shade along my patio. Pots with flower arrangements are scattered throughout my site.  Squash is starting to grow, tomatoes are blooming, I am on my second cutting of greens and the herbs are over flowing in their planter.  Flowers are in full bloom and my butterfly habitats are attracting a nice variety of butterflies, bumblebees and of course honey bees. Hummingbirds are starting to flit around sipping on the plants provided for their dining pleasure. Life is good. Here a few pictures of my little slice of heaven.

Flowers and Food abound

Herbs aplenty

Cucumber loaded with blooms and babies

One of two butterfly habitats with Zucchini in the background

The grandkids garden is really growing! 




This too, could be you! 

Until Next Time...

Make Your Own Mirror and Wiper Covers

The sun is  hard on wiper blades when they sit and bake against the windshield for several weeks while one is on a job or visiting an area for an extended period of time. Sun and birds can be equally as hard on the side mirrors and their chrome finish. Most people buy covers to place over them for protection. They can be purchased for anywhere from $25.00 to $60.00 for a set, online or at the RV store. I decided to make my own. It turned out to be a simple sewing project that I completed for $11.00 in fabric and supplies I had on hand.

Here are some simple instructions with a few pictures to guide you along if you want to make your own.

I went to JoAnn Fabrics and bought a yard of Outdoor Fabric. This type of fabric is designed to hold up to the elements and dries quickly so as not to mold or draw moisture to the surface it is protecting. It is the same fabric that outdoor furniture cushions are covered in. The patterns and colors are nearly endless. That’s one of the best things about making your own. Typically JoAnn’s has either 50% 0ff or a coupon to grant 40% off a regular priced item.  I hit the store on a   50% off week and got the yard of fabric for $10.99.  I used Dual Duty thread that I had in my vast collection of threads. It is a little heavier than normal thread that you use for normal projects.

To make my covers I used:

o   1 yard of outdoor fabric

o   8” Velcro Strips

o   Dual Duty Thread matching the fabric I chose

Wiper Cover Instructions:

1.      Measure the length of your wipers and cut your fabric 1” longer than the total length and 5” wide.  You will need 2 panels

2.      Press and stitch a finished edge ¼” wide the length of both sides of each panel.

3.      Measure your wiper from the top to where it attaches to the arm. Mine was 12”

4.      Fold panel in half the long way with right sides together. Mark the distance from the top to where the wiper blade meets the arm. Sew to that mark and turn the panel inside out.

5.      You will have a pocket on the top half and an open bottom half with finished edges.

6.      Sew strips of Velcro near the middle and toward to bottom of the open sides.

7.      The cover will slip over the top of the blade and you will use the Velcro to secure it together below the wiper arm.

 

Mirror Cover Instructions:

1.       Measure the Width and Length of your mirrors. Measure the depth of the mirrors. 

a.      The measurement of the depth will be divided by 2 and added to the width of the panels + ½”  seam allowance on each side.

b.      My mirrors measured 20” long – 11 “ wide and 7” deep.

c.      I cut my panels  20” x 15” to allow for the depth of the mirror and seam allowance.

2.      Cut 4 panels with the measurements you calculate based on the size of your mirrors.

a.      Note:  You made need more or less  than a yard of fabric depending on the size of your mirrors and wiper blades and width of the fabric. Take your measurements and determine how much fabric you need before you head to the fabric store. You may also need to account for pattern and repeat of the pattern depending on what you choose.

 

3.      Sew a ¼” finished edge along the bottom side of each panel

4.      Place right sides together and start on at the bottom edge of one side. Sew up one side to the top, I made a curved turn instead of a square corner since my mirrors are rounded at the top. Sew across the top and down the other side ending at the bottom on the other side. Turn inside out and drop it over the mirror.

I haven’t yet, but may end up adding a small strap at the bottom to hold it on the mirror. I’ll wait to see if they stay in place in the wind. I have a little fabric left over to make the straps if I decide I need them.

 

In all it was a fun project that took about 2 hours this morning. I saved around $40.00 and got to pick a fun pattern instead of setteling for  plain brown or tan.

Until Next Time...

I Found My Dream Job in Retirement

Of all the part time jobs I have held over the years, working in the Garden Center is by far my favorite. It checks all the boxes. I move back and forth between being inside and outside with large overhead doors letting the breeze blow in, it is physical in nature and  helps me stay in shape and I have contact with the public in a fun way. When people come to the garden center they are generally in a good mood, nurturing a hobby or passion just as I am doing by working there.

This morning when I was watering the outdoor area, easily an acre of trees, shrubs and sun loving perennials, and annuals in various sized pots it occurred to me that garden center plants are a lot like shelter animals. They can survive okay in the pots just as animals do in kennels and cages at the shelter, but they will never thrive until someone comes and picks them to take home to nurture and love. In my decades of perusing garden centers and greenhouse for my annual plantings I have been oblivious to the work it takes to keep them looking attractive and healthy enough for someone to want to take home.

It is a daunting task to maintain any plant in a garden center for more than a couple of weeks. It amazes me how quickly some of them sell. It is not unusual to get a pallet of 50 of something and have it be gone in a weekend or a mere few days. The name of the game is move the merchandise. Any plant in the garden center for more than a couple of weeks really starts to show the stress of their life from seedling, or transplant. Quickly outgrowing their pots and some in less than ideal light. The outdoor plants have it the hardest. Not only are they in black pots, they are displayed on pallets or open tables on a blacktop lot.

As Champ has settled into his routine with his duties mowing taking care of playgrounds as they begin to open areas of the park, I have settled into a nice schedule of early morning hours. My day starts at 7a.m. The first 2-3 hours is spent watering, deadheading, and condensing displays of live freight, otherwise known as plants. The rest of the morning I stock indoor freight, and face shelves in the indoor part of the garden center. All the while I help people shopping in the department and often help them pick plants and talk to them about how to care for them. One of the perks is work smells incredibly good!  Especially when I am watering the Flowering Tropicals!

I think it is safe to say I found a nice niche for myself a few days a week this summer. I had to retire to find my dream job.

 

Container Gardening

There are two primary types of full timers. Those who are in it for the travel, crisscrossing the country and spending 2-4 weeks exploring areas they visit. Then there are those like Champ and I who work camp, staying in an area 4-5 months. We dream of taking a couple of years to lead the nomadic style at some point, but for now we can’t imagine being gone during the summer months after hiding from winter in the southern states. One of the biggest advantages to staying in Iowa all summer is the ability to grow my container garden. 

I made my 4^th and 5^th trips to the greenhouse last week. I went back with my daughter in law and granddaughter to help them pick flowers to grace their patio, then again, a couple of days later to buy the rest of my own things. As usual my trip was also a play date with my friend Joyce who shares my green thumb and love of the smell of a greenhouse. 

Nora picking out her flowers

Pot all planted and ready to take home

 Planting time with the girls

Everything is planted and flourishing in the daily rain and warm temperatures that Iowa has delivered to give the seeds, and newly transplanted seedlings a good start to the growing season.

This year in addition to some new flowers, in my shaded baskets, I have both of my Pollinator habitats off to a good start with the perennials, up and growing and new annuals getting established. The pots have my herbs, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Sweet and Hot Peppers, Carrots, and Butternut Squash. I amended the soil in another spot for a Zucchini patch and separated it from the pollinator bed with a bed of Zinnia seed harvested from last years flowers that have germinated and are on their way to being the big sun loving rainbow of colors they will be by July.

The boys raised garden growing like crazy. Hangers have spinach and lettuce coming up

Cilantro, Sage , flowers and an experiment growing lettuce from the leftover stalk

Rumex, Tarragon and Oregano cut back in Texas and growing agan in Iowa. Basil and Thyme soon to emerge

Cucumber and pepper plants

Hutner's Chocolate Cherry tomato plant with Marigolds for pest control in the small pots

East drive entrance with Polinators getting a good start

West drive entrance polinator habitat, back bed is the zucchini . Zinnia coming up in the patch in between the plots.

My posting tonight was interrupted by a trip to the storm shelter as a nasty Thunderstorm with enough rotation to prompt a tornado warning popped up. It left with no impact, hopefully it will be as innocent as it passes over areas in its path as it moves northeast from here.

It is definitely spring-time in Iowa!

Until Next Time…

Growing Food with Kids

Perhaps the hardest factor of selling all our property and living full time in our RV was the thought of giving up my yard and gardens. For most of my adult life gardening has been my preferred form of therapy.  Indeed, one of the best surprises of this lifestyle is how much I still garden. I do it as part of my RV Volunteer work quite often, I do it in friends and family’s yards and I do it on a level at my site that I never dreamed of four years ago.

We are truly fortunate to have a regular summer gig that brings us back to the same site April to October. Our little volunteer community out of the public eye gives us all unique opportunity to plant in the ground and has allowed me to create a vast container garden each summer. Our first winter I bought a book call The Bountiful Container and read all about the intricacies of growing food in containers vis a vis in the ground. I have learned a great deal the past summers and am getting the process down. In addition to the vegetable containers I also established several square feet of ground space with perrenials at the entrance of our site as official Pollinator Habitat and registered it with Plant -Grow- Fly. A program that tracks habitat that is being grown around the country specifically for caterpillar hosting and feeding, butterflies and other pollinators.

I still comb through garden magazines, and seed catalogues too early in the spring.  I even grow herbs and greens in pots on my patio at our winter gig, wherever that ends up being. The only thing that has changed is the volume of food that I grow. My canning equipment is at my daughter’s house in case she ever wants to start canning. These days, I grow enough for us to eat for the summer months and to satisfy my love of eating right out of the garden. There is nothing more delicious to me than a salad that was in the garden just a few minutes before I eat it.

A little dream came true for me. Two of our grandkids said they wanted to grow a garden with me this summer. We spent last Monday repurposing a volunteer neighbor’s old steps into a raised box in an area of our site that has great sun, but poor soil. Problem solved. 

Turning Don's steps into a planter

During an overnight visit this past weekend, I took them to my favorite greenhouse. Neither had ever been to a big greenhouse.  Given the circumstances we are all in, they hadn’t been anywhere in weeks. I got permission from my daughter to take them and called ahead to the greenhouse to be sure they were aloud to come in with me. The answers were “Yes and Yes” Yay for all of us!  I don’t know what excited me more, watching them marvel at the acres of plants and stunning variety that Goode’s always has or realizing how utterly happy they were to just be out and about. We had perfect weather for the greenhouse trip and subsequent planting when we got back.

Shopping for plants at Goode's Greenhouse

They chose their favorite veggies to eat, Cucumbers for Isaac, they both agreed on carrots, so I bought seed for the fun Kaleidoscope variety and Tomatoes. Hunter chose a Big Boy (grandpa’s favorite) and a Chocolate Cherry one I have had before and remember being delicious in salads or just as finger food. Hunter found some small rose variety and asked if he could plant it in one of my flower beds. I couldn’t resist. He was thrilled!

Marigold's for Pest Control

Peppers for Grandma

Sewing Carrot Seeds

Isaac planting his cucumber

All planted and ready for growing season!

The weekend is over, the rains have come, and the plants are happy in their containers and new raised planter box. The kids will have a project to tend each time they visit and will get to enjoy the fruits of their project by mid-summer.

I have my sights set on Wednesday when I have my next day off and a date with my friend Joyce, to go back to Goodes and buy the rest of what I want to plant to round out my vegetable and flower containers.  Add to that my new summer job at a local Garden Center and I think it is safe to say my green thumb is happier than ever.

After a difficult past few weeks trying to get settled and not knowing from one day to the next what our summer would look like, things are finally starting to feel comfortable. All I seemed to need was site # 7 the sun, grandkids coming over and things growing in my containers. It really is the little things.  

Until Next Time…

Back In The Nest

We are one step closer to feeling a sense of normality. We moved to our site at the lake we work for this morning. As we drove back to town to do the curb side pickup for the new walking shoes I bought online we both commented that driving from the lake into town, made us feel like we were finally home accept that home doesn’t feel right this year.

Good ole Site # 7

There are still several relatives and friends that we have not seen because of social distancing practices. We have seen some of the grandkids a little, but not nearly as much as we would in the pre-COVID 19 reality. We are at our site ready to start our fourth season but have no idea what this year holds.

All of America is living the same angst filled existence of uncertainty and constantly changing circumstances. We are lucky to be at our usual summer place. Many are still in limbo or have had to find other last-minute arrangements. I heard from one of my office co-workers from our winter job, who reported that he had migrated from his normal job in Missouri,  that didn’t work out this year, to an amusement park in Des Moines who employs many workcampers each summer. We did not think we would see him till next winter and now 5 weeks later he is just a few miles away. Some of our other summer companions who have been waiting in their southern destinations are now on the road making their way back. What we have come back to remains to be seen. Flexibility is the number one quality one must possess to navigate the full-time work camper lifestyle, but the summer of 2020 is bound to stretch everyone’s limits for constant change.

I have started a new part time summer job in the garden center of a local home improvement store and am feeling better having a purpose at least some of the days I get up. This past seven weeks of doing nothing has been torture. Not knowing where we would ultimately end up for the season delayed my job search till last week. I have worked part time more than not and it has never taken me more than a week or so to secure a part time job when I decided I wanted one. I am becoming an expert at first days at a new job. This job like my past years summer gig at my friend’s shop offers the ability to return each spring. They told me in my interview they even have a specific seasonal leave designed just for snowbirds like me. I watch the news and hope my friend can reopen his business soon. 

Going into work and smelling the greenhouse aroma's, playing with plants and talking to other garden geeks is going a long way to lift my spirits even with a face mask on. After a career of dealing with the public in one way or another, I have to admit it is really strange engaging with people and not knowing what they look like accept for their eyes. On the other hand I am saving money on lipstick since no one can see my mouth. It isn't nearly as strange as it must be to those in my former career in the banking industry. If someone walked into the bank wearing a mask in those days, I would have been searching for the magic button under my desk!

We can finally start nesting in our site along with the birds that are busy building their nests in the timber that surrounds us. I am trying to breathe a sigh of relief, but it just won’t come this spring. I wonder if it will ever return as we all navigate this strange new world.  

Until Next Time…