Growing Potatoes in Towers

Today, I began something I've never tried before.  At the request of my almost 5 year-old son, we are going to try to grow potatoes.  I knew nothing about how to do that, so I began to research the process online.  I discovered a few sites that suggested you could grow potatoes in a tower.  Each site gave instructions for how to make such a tower.  I read those sites and then modified them a bit to go with the resources I had at my disposal.  Here is what I did:

Step 1: Clear a space of ground about 2 ft. by 2 ft.
Step 2: Put a tomato cage in the middle of the square.
Step 3: Wrap wire fence around the cage with about a 1 to 2 inch clearance and connect the fence to itself with wire.
Step 4: Put dried grass clippings, straw, or hay against the fencing on the inside of the tower.
Step 5: Press sprouted seed potatoes (sprout side facing out) into the dirt in a circle about an inch from the hay and about 4-5 inches from each other. (I put about 5-6 potato pieces per level.)
Step 6: Cover with dirt. (I did 2-4 shovel-fulls, ~ 2-3 inches)
Step 7: Repeat steps 4-6 until you reach the top of the fencing.
Step 8: Place 5-6 seed potatoes in dirt on the top of the tower and cover with more dirt.
Step 9: Cover top with more grass clippings and a shovel-full of dirt.

And this is what you have....

The finished tower

Three towers

I will update in the future to see how these turn out.  They may be a terrible fail, but I am hopeful that they won't.  Hopefully, in a few months, I will be able to post some pictures of the potatoes that have grown in these.  Either way, it will be an interesting journey.  Feel free to comment with suggestions or stories of your own experiences with growing potatoes.  Thanks!

Step by Step

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed today with the enormity of what I desire to accomplish with my novel writing.  There are so many steps to complete between here and publication, many of which are not in my control.  Adding to that my insecurities and my inexperience, you've got a recipe for giving up.  I know because I've been here before.  When I was in college, my dream was to be a singer-songwriter.  I felt certain that I had the talent to get signed by a label and recorded.  After a few struggles and much research into the ins and outs of getting signed, I eventually decided it was too much work and gave up.  Was that the right decision?  I don't know for sure, but it still makes me sad when I think about it.

We all have dreams like that.  We all have passions that drive us and inspire us.  But far too often the difficulties of living into those passions with all that we are is hard.  And when we face rejection or setbacks along the way, it is much easier to give up those dreams than to press on....or is it?  In the short term perhaps it is.  But when all is said and done, does the difficulty of giving it our all really outweigh the pain of giving up on our dreams?

The problem with giving something our all is that in doing so we make ourselves vulnerable.  For example, an artist throws himself or herself into their work.  She bears her soul in every painting, every sculpture, every song.  Then when someone rejects that piece of art it is as if they are rejecting the artist's soul.  That is tremendously painful.  And the longer an artist spends on his work, the more of him is embedded within it.  Therefore he has more to lose, more chance for pain.

I've been working on my novel for over 3 1/2 years now.  I've invested MANY hours into it.  I've recruited the help of others.  The characters have become my friends.  My heart and soul are deeply woven into the fabric of the pages.  The thought of my novel being rejected, disliked, or dismissed makes my heart pound, my nerves flare, my whole being quake.  So, what am I to do?  What are all of us to do with our dreams?  Can we afford the price it will most definitely cost to press on?  Can we afford not to?

This morning, I am feeling lonely and overwhelmed.  So many steps lie before me that I have a hard time believing I can make it to the end.  Even worse, I feel alone on the journey.  Even those who I know love and care for me seem outside the path.  The place I want to go is a place I must journey alone.  But how am I to get there?

I am inspired this morning by this song from the late Whitney Houston:



Here is the refrain:
Step by step
Bit by bit
Stone by stone
Brick by brick
Step by step
Day by day
Mile by mile
Go your own way!

It is time for me to stop looking at the big picture for a moment, to stop focusing on the ultimate goal, and instead turn my attention to the step that is right before me.  I love the scene in What About Bob? where Bob is told by Dr. Marvin to simply take life in baby steps.  And Bob proceeds to walk everywhere saying, baby-stepping to the door, baby-stepping onto the elevator, etc.  Hilarious!



So, today I'm going to take baby steps.  I'm going to enjoy my day off of work by hanging out with my kids, cleaning my house, and editing chapter 6.  I'm sure I will take some time to check on the Cubs-Cardinals game as well.  But I am going to try to avoid thinking about all the future steps that will need to be taken, try to avoid dwelling on the improbability of being published and the hard work needed just to get my manuscript read.  Those things will still be there later when everything else is in place.  For now I need to simply take it all step by step.  Care to join me?

Brackets, Spaces, Question Marks, and Other Punctuation (in bullet points)

I'm in the midst of a very busy season so have not written as much as I would have liked.  That said, a few things have been percolating.  So, here are my thoughts in bullet points:

• March Madness has begun.  I am not a big college basketball fan, but my wife and I usually try to put together brackets and compete against one another.  It is usually just for bragging rights, though on occasion we have placed small bets with one another (usually a Mt. Dew for me and something of similar value for my wife).  So, I have North Carolina winning it all, which is actually who I pick almost every year...primarily because they have a foot as their symbol on some of their parephernalia.  I will probably lose (as I do most years), but it is still fun.  Who do you have winning in your bracket?
• The sport that I most love is baseball...particularly Chicago Cubs baseball.  We are currently in the space between the end of last season and the beginning of a new season, but that space is coming quickly to an end.  Spring Training has begun and hope springs eternal!  The Cubbies go into the season with some new faces and some young up-and-comers.  Most are counting them out in 2012 because they see them in "rebuilding" mode.  But there is nothing I love more than an underdog story...and if it came in the form of my beloved Cubs making a run at the World Series, it would be even that much more amazing.  So...GO CUBS GO!!!!
• On a very different note, it was recommended this week that my wife have surgery to remove a couple of masses that have grown on her thyroid.  We were told all the statistics regarding the likelihood of the masses being cancerous and the stats regarding all the possible dangers of the surgery, and in the end we chose for her to have the surgery.  But we still have many question marks.  Are the masses cancerous or benign?  We won't know for sure until she is under the knife.  How will she come through the surgery?  Will there be any lasting consequences?  We obviously won't know that for a while.  Who will watch our kids so I can be with her before and after the procedure?  The answer to that is beginning to become clearer, but has not been fully answered yet.  I have a deeper appreciation for the many people who have gone through these situations with a loved one or for themselves.  My thoughts and prayers are with all those who are in a similar situation as us with many unknowns, those who are facing the "knowns" of cancer or other illnesses, those undergoing treatment, those whose loved ones are gone, those whose loved ones are still fighting, those whose loved ones are in remission, and those who live in fear of disease wreaking havoc on their own body or that of a loved one.  May you all experience healing, peace, and wholeness!
• As a tool for relaxation, and because I simply enjoy it, I have been doing a lot of reading lately.  My current selection is Book 2 of the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull.  It is a wonderful fantasy series about a magical preserve that is home to all sorts of wonderful, mystical creatures.  If you like fantasy (or even if you don't), I recommend this series.
• As far as my own writing goes, I am blessed to have had one of my readers finish reading The Lantern of Rahela and provide me with some wonderful feedback.  I now have two other readers in process and a few who have received the manuscript but have not told me they are reading it to this point.  I hope to have had three readers finish the manuscript by the summer so that I can make some edits, have another round of readers, and then begin preparing a query letter to send to literary agents with the hopes of getting my novel published.  In the meantime, I have been working on the beginnings of two new novels: the sequel to my first, which is tentatively titled The Mountain of Me'arah, and a YA sci-fi novel that is presently untitled.  I'm hoping to do Camp NaNoWriMo (www.campnanowrimo.org) in June to complete a draft of one of them.
• Finally, I am LOVING the almost summer-like weather in mid-March.  What an amazing blessing!  I hope you are all having a wonderful year so far...full of exclamation marks!

My Sunday Afternoon

So, I had all these plans for today.  I wanted to do some laundry, wash some dishes, clean up the house a little, read more of "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins, and perhaps do a little writing on the scifi novel that I started recently.  Instead, my son asked me to make Radiator Springs from the Disney Pixar Cars movies.  I had attempted this once before and it was destroyed quickly, so I was relectant to try...BUT...he kept pestering me, so I gave in and here are the results:

RADIATOR SPRINGS

FILLMORE'S ORGANIC FUEL, SARGE'S SURPLUS HUT,

& ORNAMENTAL VALLEY MECHANICAL CLINIC

FLO'S V8 CAFE & RAMONE'S BODY ART

COURTHOUSE/FIRE DEPT & LUIGI'S CASA DE LA TIRES

LIZZIE'S CURIO SHOP, THE COZY CONE MOTEL,

& TOW MATER'S

This was far more effort than I really wanted to exert on an unnecessary project today, but it turned out pretty good and Jakob loves it.  Fun to find uses for the numerous sheets of cardboard that I still have from my job back in Illinois (which I left 8 years ago).  Ka Chow!!!



Attention Seeking

I decided to take a small break from writing posts just about writing and address something on my mind today.  As a father of two young children, I am all too familiar with the desire of children to seek attention by all means necessary.  My 4 year old and 2 year old have tried many things, both good and bad, to summon the attention of myself or my wife.  In my conversations with other parents and interactions with other children, I know that this behavior is not at all uncommon.  But as children grow, they begin to realize which behaviors get them "good attention" and which get them "bad attention."  And as they learn this, they begin to stop most of the behaviors that get them "bad attention."

As I watched the Grammys last night, I began to realize that one the biggest problems we are facing as a society is that we have a generation of kids reaching adulthood now who have never navigated past the attention seeking stage.  They never learned that "bad attention" is exactly that...bad.  And that view is supported by the superstars that this generations clings to....the Chris Browns, Lady Gagas, Katy Perrys, and Nikki Minajs.  They are known more for their outrageous, lewd, or violent behavior than for the talents they possess.  That is not to say that they don't possess a great amount of talent.  These young musicians have never learned that it is better to have good attention and be praised for the things inside them that are beautiful, noble, and excellent than it is to receive the kind of attention that comes from performances like the one Nikki Minaj gave last night at the Grammys.

We wonder where our society has gone wrong and we look to politicians to fix it.  We see the problems in our children and we blame the schools for not doing a better job.  The reality is that the problems of our attention seeking society start at home.  They start with me and you.  So, it doesn't really matter which candidate ends up in the office of President or what promises they make us.  Change must happen on the ground, in the trenches, at home.  We are the change makers.  We are the catalysts for worldwide reform.  And that change begins with us all navigating the attention seeking stage for ourselves and then helping others to do the same.

Really Classic Movies....

I'm not sure what inspired me to write about this topic.  Perhaps it was a Back to the Future reference that my wife just made.  Or maybe it was a conversation I had on Facebook reminiscing about college.  It could have been how my son and I made our own movie that was a toy recreation of an episode of one ofmy son's favorite cartoons.  Or maybe it was simply the fact that I have nothing to write about of value, so I had to just pick a random topic.  I'll let you choose. :)  At any rate, here are my top 5 classic movies.  These are movies that are classic in my mind, though not necessarily in the minds of others.  I will attempt to share the reasons that I have come to view these movies as important and memorable.  So here goes nothing!

1. The Princess Bride -- Great movie, great acting, and very funny.
     What makes it classic?  An abundance of quotable lines and great memories of watching it with friends while quoting most every line before the actors said them.
     Best quote: "Anybody want a peanut?"

2. Monty Python and the HolyGrail -- Ridiculously wonderul
     What makes it classic?  More quotable lines and the memory of many friends watching the movie for the first time (I distinctlyremember one person saying, when the movie was all done, "That's the end?"...CLASSIC!)
      Best quote: "It's only a model."

3. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure -- High school "dude" humor
      What makes it classic? Again, very quotable.  Also, it is about the only movie where Keanu Reeves' acting is halfway decent.  Plus, who wouldn't want to go back in time and collect people from history for a report?
       Best quote: "Strange things are afoot at the Circle K."

4. Back to the Future 3 -- Yes, I did choose the third one!  It is by far the funniest!
       What makes it classic? Great quotes.  Touches on pieces of movies 1 and 2.  The old West is just fun, plus the old guy gets the lady!
       Best quote: "Run for fun?!?  What the hell kinda fun is that?"

5. Shadowlands -- I struggled with what to put at #5 because there are so many great movies that belong on this list, but I wanted a non-comedy to round this out.  And Shadowlands is an amazing movie.
       What makes it classic? Great story about C.S. Lewis.  Phenomenal acting.  Good lines.
       Best quote: "He comes in, he sleeps, he leaves.  The plot thickens."

What are your classic movies?  Why?

The Princess and the Engine

I decided to create a writing challenge for myself, so I thought I would write a short children's story in the style of Theodore Geisel. Here it goes!

The Princess and the Engine
by Jeff Fiet

In the middle of nowhere, a quaint, little town
Stood nestled amidst the Forest of Frown.
In the midst of the forest was Castle Morose
Where lived a fair princess whose name no one knows.
She'd lived in the castle her full twenty years
And each of those days were chock full of tears.
"Why's the princess so sad?" you might ask in your head.
That's simple. There is merely one thing causing dread.
She can't leave the Forest to go into town.
Her castle sits high and she's scared to walk down.
So, she sits all alone and she cries and she moans
And she orders more junk than one person should own.
Her castle is full to the brim with new things...
None of it used, but all of it brings
A second of joy, though those seconds grow shorter
With each new day of her life as a hoarder.
Today is another with nothing to do
But order more junk to lighten the blue.
But just as she goes for the phone with her hand
She's stopped by a sound that resounds through the land.
It's the sound of a whistle and the sound's getting near
She runs to the window and opens to peer
Down the hill toward the forest where something she spies
Sending numerous puffs of white steam to the sky.
She hears a chug-chug and a quiet peep-peep
And out chugs an engine, right out of the trees.
It chugs and it chuffs right up to the door
And peeps as it waits for it's passenger to board.
The princess looks out and decides right away
To forget all her stuff. It's not used anyway.
And she boards the small train, climbing right up and in
And the engine peep-peeps and starts moving again
And the engine takes off straight toward the town.
It turns toward the hill and it scuttles right down.
It chugs with the princess to the middle of Promise.
And then something happened she couldn't have guessed.
She smiled...and that smile brought a joy to her heart
More than any of the stuff that she'd bought off the cart.
More than vases or jewelry or buttons or cans
Or miniature garden gnomes with really bad tans.
It brought her more joy than ever she'd felt.
So, she got off the train and right there she knelt
And cried, but these tears were the tears of sheer joy
For the princess had found what she truly enjoyed.
She was free from the bonds of her prison of stuff.
And now she needed nothing. Just life was enough.


So... What do you think? Needs some illustrations perhaps!  :)