Not This

I got up bright and early this morning as is my custom, and went to work, as is also my custom, only to arrive at the plant and find that the parking lot was strangely dark.   

"What's going on here?" I asked.  "Why is it so dark?"  I mean, I could see all of the lights were off, but why?  The funny thing is, as I was driving into the lot, that phrase from the popular song popped into my head.  In the singer's voice, I heard it:  "I met Jesus in a parking lot!"

I laughed a bit and said, "Not in this parking lot, you didn't!"

I parked my car, and began walking across the darkened parking lot towards the employee entrance, when about halfway across, I ran into one of the other brazers who told me, "They said to wait in your car."  So, I turned around and trudged my way back across the still dark parking lot to my car.  I sat there, did my Bible study, did my Lingo Legend, and caught up on my e-mail.  

About the time I got done with that, the lights came back on, so I got my stuff, and trudged back across the now lit up parking lot, and went inside the plant.  They still weren't letting everyone in yet -- just the machine operators, telling them not to turn everything at once, but to start their machines up gradually.  How they were supposed to do that, I don't know, but that's what the supervisors were saying. 

About 10-ish minutes later, they let the rest of us go in and begin our work day, but that one little disruption threw my whole day out of whack.  It didn't help that we had totally caught up with tubing and most of us brazers spent more time waiting on work than we did actually working.  I don't like not having work.  It makes the day go by so slowly. 

Finally, after what seemed like an interminably long day, the work day ended and I came home and moved these little guys to their next home. 

The little bluebonnet might just stay in that pot for its entire life, but I'm sure I'll have to replant the bachelor's button once it gets a little bigger.  I'll probably put it into the front flower bed, near where the volunteers came up. 

Then I got my hydroponic sponges and planted some basil seeds. 

Those sponges are not at all what I thought they'd be when I ordered them.  I was thinking they'd be more like peat pellets, but they're actual sponge like material.  Plus, as you can see, they don't quite fit my seed starting tray.  We'll just have to see how they work, but I've already found some square peat pellets and added them to my shopping cart on Amazon.  If these don't work out, I'll try again with something else. 

FWIW, I don't like using the regular potting soil in this tray, because it doesn't hold together well when I'm up-potting the little plants.  I'm trying to find something that will come out in a chunk.  I'm thinking that will be better for the seedlings as it will cause less disruption to their roots.  

And also FWIW,  even though I only planted them a few hours ago, I've already checked my seeds about 5 times.  

They're not growing yet. 

I put three seeds into each little sponge, and even that was only half of one package, so I have plenty more to play with if these don't grow.  Alas, I didn't have enough sponges to plant my little sunflower seeds.  I mean, I have enough, but I didn't have enough spaces.  I don't use those two outside rows, because they are too far from the grow lights and the seedlings growing there tend to be long and stringy and don't often survive. 

And of course, I'll be sure to keep you updated.  But for now, I need to go get something to eat.  My stomach sounds like a dire wolf in distress.  

After I check my basil seeds one more time, of course. 

Laters.