Making Dirt

Today I made dirt. Of all the things I do, dirt may be the thing I'm best at. That may have something to do with the fact that it happens pretty much on its own -- even breaking down hulking tree stumps effortlessly. Whether Mother Nature gets the credit or I steal a bit of it for myself, it's very satisfying to do and I get a very powerful feeling from being part of the process of turning destruction into something useful.

Here are some photos of my burned out garden as it progresses from a pile of skeletal remains to rich, brown, sweet-smelling earth.

Observe total burn out:

This gets removed to a new pile or added to an existing one:

Over time the pile breaks down:

Then it needs to get sifted out:

Behold DIRT that's ready to get added back to the garden!:

On My Mark, Get Set, BLOG!

This is a beginning for me. I have only just discovered blogs but the first one I encountered was so delightful (Chocolate & Zucchini) that I knew I wanted to give it a whirl even if I am computer illiterate.

So, I hope to learn by doing it and, perhaps, some theme will emerge. Right now I can simply say that I'm a 57 year old woman who lives in the somewhat more suburban outlying area of Los Angeles. I have been a stay-at-home family resource specialist (read "mom") for the last 28 years. I enjoy cooking and gardening (which is to say I always seem to resurect a bit of hope for the coming spring from the burned out wreck of the previous year's planting). I also, from time to time, quilt and mash around with other creative pursuits.

My present goal is to learn to speak French. To that end, I take classes at the local community college. I am fortunate in this respect because the campus that is only about 10 minutes from my home has managed to keep together a program that includes more ambitious mid-level (or, in my case, seriously deep water!) instruction with a couple excellent teachers.

So this will constitute my first effort to blog. How about that!?