I just found my old blog. I have tried several garden ideas since that first year.
I built two additional planters down by the horse. They worked really well the first year, so I created an adjacent 30ft x 20ft garden, complete with underground fencing for gophers, four foot tall fencing to keep out above ground critters, and a gate.
I planted lots of good stuff. Fertilized with lots of horse manure. Set up a great watering system.
Everything grew really well. Then nature noticed. Too much nitrogen. Then the squirrels and rats got through. Even the gophers found out how to get in. Moths, worms, grasshoppers. Gardening is not for sissies. Sigh.
I did manage to get quite a few amazingly delicious tomatoes. There is no time for canning or preparation, so I just put them in the freezer. That was one of the best things I ever did. Whenever I needed tomato sauce I just put a couple in a pot and let them thaw. A few minutes of cooking magic later and the sauce was ready and so tasty and delicious!
The next year I tried herbals. What could possibly eat echinacea and chamomile? Gophers.
I do get a few potatoes still every year. The chives and jalapenos seem to make it. I guess no one wants those. The Rosemary and lavender are both doing well. The thyme and oregano are good too. I have one beautiful three-year old Swiss chard plant. It is surrounded by wire with 1/4" spacing. I learned that garden beds must be lined with construction wire to keep the gophers out. Two layers might last a few years!
Well, who has time for gardening any way. There is too much life to live. In the spring of 2018 I let my husband plant his marijuana seeds. Apparently they need very little of anything to grow. Must be why they call it "weed".
In July 2018 I was back to being single. Only this time it was for good. A rotten egg's a rotten egg. They don't change, just pretend to be better people in order to get what they want. I bought an old horse trailer, joined Vista Palomar Riders club, and started riding the local trails. I made a dear friend, Kathy Cooksey, who was retired, and in her 80's rode at least 3 times a week. I was only ever able to ride once a week and was exhausted already!
Finally I was able to attend church and started going to North Coast Church by attending a set of classes for those going through divorce, and weekly services. I built myself a new life and a new set of friends. The geography clubs were still active, and I was able to still attend the conferences, which were a ton of fun.
By the fall of 2018 I had a garden of full grown pot plants. What the heck was I supposed to do with all that pot? Not knowing any better, I started harvesting it and drying it in the garage. It was too early, so it was super mild. Not much good for anything at the time. I ended up putting it away under the house. Gave some away, but not really in demand.
Then Covid hit. By then I was surrounded with enough close friends that I hardly skipped a beat. Horseback riding is a good sport for keeping 6' distance from others. I met with my church group on zoom. At about that time I had quit my job due to stressful circumstances. Since it was Covid, I was able to get unemployment.
The geography clubs stopped meeting for those years. I have not really kept in touch with my younger college friends. They have all move on, gotten married and started their new lives.
I lost some of my new friends too. At the time of my separation, my dear friend and next door neighbor Peggy was hospitalized with brain cancer. She was given 18 months. That was a difficult time for a few reasons I won't go into.
The next year after that, my riding buddy Kathy was diagnosed with brain cancer as well. Within 18 months she was gone. Another friend through divorce classes, Marsha passed unexpectedly. My neighbor Nate, others. People come and go in our lives. It's best to appreciate them while they are here.
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