Every once in a while, you hear a story about how someone put their very last dollar into a slot machine, pulled the arm, and hit a $280M jackpot. It’s a fun dream, but that isnt reality for most of us. We may joke about finding a duffelbag stuffed full of nonsequential bills buried in a field somewhere, but we walk in reality, put our heads down and just grind on. We rob Peter to pay Paul, clip coupons, wheedle deals and go without things. We make the most of the resources we have. We reuse, upcycle, and put things to uses they were never intended for. We just get on with it. Most things take an investment of time or money, sometimes both, and there is never enough of either to go around. We do the best we can with what we have. And sometimes, we short ourselves a bit in the present to invest in the future.

I’ve planted thousands of dollars worth of trees and shrubs, herbs and flowers on this property, and I will plant more in the coming years. We could use that money, but the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, and the next best time is right now. It will take years for any of them to come to fruit, so if we want these trees to feed our future, they have to be established now. At times, that is very discouraging. The orchard still doesnt look like much, after all the work involved, but it’s coming. I need many trucks’ worth of mulch and a team of gardeners, but it’s coming. Progress IS being made.

The figs had established well enough in their planters to survive being ground-planted. Those are in and mulched, now. The grapes are mulched as well, although there is still work to be done there.