Thursday - the garden

Today I started the garden. I forgot to take a "before picture" but it was rather daunting. I started removing the tin and old wheels and tires. Kyanja (age 6) and Ibrame (age 2) were very interested and wanted to help so off we went carrying anything that we could. Old desks, metal, plastic, tires, boulders anything you could think of was there. I found some corn stalks, an orange tree, avocado tree and an aloa plant as I dug and cleared so I saved them to replant. We took most of the garbage out to the side of the house to be sorted later and put in a garbage truck that passes by. 1/2 hour later the metal was being picked up b a guy on a bicycle and it was gone. I continued to dig using a borrowed spade, which makes the oldest shovel I have ever used look new. (I have a really nice long handled shovel and rake in the container) The residents of Stittsville will be hay to know that there are more rocks here than in Stittsville. Every shovel full was a combination of old bricks, rocks, and plastic water bottles. Everytime I dig my garden at home I wonder where the rocks come from as I just dug it all last year. Here it was everytime I shoveled I wondered where the plastic bottles came from. I beat the pile down and built a 2 section compose using the bricks I found. I hope they will be big enough (about 20 cu feet each) I figured with a constant temperature of above 25 and water from veg cleaning dumped on them they should decompose quickly. Any advise from gardeners would be appreciated. I has to stop  when I reached just a pile of aggregate as it may be required for the cement pad under the second water tank but this will depend on our budget once we get the container delivered. I did replant the avocado, and aloa plants and I have to try and get rid of some shite stuff on the underside of the orange tree leaves. I figure the soap used for cleaning thrown on it might help - more gardening help needed please.

I sent an email to the shipper trying the "Rotary Card" that we would really appreciate their assistance on this humanitarian mission - hopefully it will work as I doubt Sue and kids would like me to send more time here to make sure it gets done.

The guys are installing the doors and windows today. I had to pay up front or they wouldn't do it apparently.  They started to chip away at the hole as the size was out (quite a bit from where I was standing) Chip away is appropriate as they used a hammer and big nail (no chisel here) To square the windows they use a plumb line and any old piece of wood for a shim. Once everything is secured they make cement to fill in the "large" gaps. All windows and doors are done at the same time as cement is very expensive. ( I had to pay extra up front for cement also).

The next step is to have a cement floor installed and then we have to get the glass for the windows as it is not a standard part of the window. I guess if you don't have to worry about freezing and there is no such thing as airconditioning who needs glass!

I was speaking to one of the teachers at a local school and asked what her #1 priority would be and she thought for a bit and said glass in the windows as all the books ( she has about 200 for 300 kids) get dirty from the dust. (We sure take certain things for granted)

I climb up on the roof today to check out the area for our new sign, I will probably have to paint it myself, as the painter wanted to use plywood for a template and I advised that it wasn't in the budget.  Our sign will be on the false front on the concrete section ( no metal roofs for me to walk on dear wife).