Proving that nothing can ever happen entirely trouble-free, our Growums had a mishap this week. After doing quite well up until now, we were intending to wait maybe one more week until planting them in a raised garden bed here at Rock Father HQ. Everything was right on schedule when Carin the Carrot sent over an email alerting us that it’s planting time, but with this weird weather, it just felt right to wait a little while longer. One of our dogs did not agree with this decision.
We have two dogs that are best described as obnoxious, disobedient, ill-behaved, and often times annoying. Sure, we love them, but despite thousands of dollars in training from puppy school through at-home visits in adulthood, both act like complete jerks on a daily basis. I have a feeling it comes from both dogs being completely weird mixed breeds, but for the past year and a half, they haven’t even been able to be near each other, this the result of them mauling one another. They’re ten years old, so maybe this is a sign of them being curmudgeonly old (dog) men? A normal pattern is that they’ll be completely quiet, then flip into “crazed” “attack-mode” at the slightest hint of a strange noise – or no noise at all. Yesterday, it was the sight of a neighbors dog (the people behind us have two TERRIBLY-behaved beasts) through the window that resulted in our Growums Pizza Garden being viciously attacked by a Chihuahua/Boston Terrier mix.
In an instant, Tomicio, Baby Basil, Regan O., and Belle Peppa found their lives at stake while their tray was thrown from side-to-side, then dropped on the ground and stomped. It was terrifying.
Photos of the Crime Scene? Attempted Plant Murder?
I wasn’t entirely done “hardening” the plants for a full move outdoors yet, but to salvage what we’d already started, I ended up waiting for my wife to come home, then hit the garden under the cover of darkness to try getting the Growums planted as part of a full-on rescue mission. Honestly, I’m not sure that Tomicio is gonna make it.
Under the cover of Darkness we work…
I pulled a couple of our solar spotlights to light the way to the raised garden, making my way through the planting and then hastily putting up some rabbit fencing as we have a known problem with the bunnies around here. Now we’ve had a ton of rain, so it won’t be until later this weekend that I get to straighten the fence. There’s a neighboor nearby that isn’t known for being very nice. He’s very loud, and when he’s not prancing in front of his windows in his underwear, his loud voice bellows through the area… especially at night. I caught him peeking at me, but only after hearing his voice say “What is he doing out there?” Twice. Same thing I do in the garden day and night, buddy. But if I find my garden mysteriously dug up, I’ll have a good first idea of who came looking for my buried treasure.
Meanwhile, the little one keeps telling Rocky T. Dog how disappointed she is that he would “jump on her plants.”
On another note, the single solar light that I’ve got pointing from the roof of the shed reminds me of being on my grandparents’ farm as a kid. Late at night, while all was quiet, you could look out into the vast darkness to see a single light that was placed on the big red barn. It wasn’t enough light to really do much of anything, aside from letting you know that it was there. I think of brightening up the nighttime garden, but then I’d ruin that familiar vibe.
Stay tuned…
PS: Don’t forget that while we’re growing our first Growums Garden, you can take part yourself by visiting Growums.com. In addition to being able to meet the characters and buy your own Gardens, you can also sign up for Fundraising Programs for your school or organization! Tired of selling cookies, coupons, or candy bars? Growums might be what you’re looking for. Additionally, they have some great programs like Growums Goes to the Fair, a Blue Ribbon program with some creative projects for all to enjoy.
