This Blog's For You!

Today's entry takes the form of a personal shout-out to my friend Seth Miller, who might be embarrassed that I am writing an entire entry in his honor. Seth and I were classmates and co-workers at CWU, and could not have been more different people at the time. I was an ENFP he was an ISTJ. His pants were always WAY cooler than mine. Today he's my most supportive reader, in spite of the fact that I am the world's most intermittent blogger. I think we're kindred spirits actually. We garden, we drink great beer and we both keep up with Paul Krugman (!!!!). What's more? He has an intelligent wife who makes an array of incredible handbags, and I have an intelligent husband who makes an array of incredible things that aren't handbags. It is as though we are living parallel lives on parallel coasts! With our powers combined, we'd be a force to be reckoned with--or at the very least, a great group to share a beer and an otherwise lousy board game with. When I get around to taking the NW by storm again, I might insist that he be my business partner. But for now, let's give it up for Seth and his amazing setup that brings 'Farm-to-Table' to a whole 'nuther level...

...that level being underneath! Yes, that is Seth's dining table, and yes, those are cartons of seedlings--peppers and tomatoes. Those are also simple shoplights, which I gather Seth can adjust by height as his seeds really get growing. Bra-VO. Since we've moved, I no longer have my bathtub seed starting setup (sniffle). I'd considered using a bookshelf to attach the lights to, but this allows much more space to work with. By putting the lights side-by-side, he can get work additional row of seedlings in between. **One hint, Seth: start some basil, marigolds and nasturtiums too. You won't be sorry. And, if you need to extend the reach of your light, go ahead and attach some side flaps made of aluminum foil. It really worked for me.** At the present, I have several friends who are short on would-be greenhouse space, scrambling to find a way to get things germinating. To those friends I say, forgo formal dining etiquette and steal Seth's idea. You're probably eating in front of your laptops anyhow.