Blue Hood Valley Girl Farm. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought shock, confusion, anxiety, disbelief and an array of opinions on what people were up against. For me, I had an eight-week long visit with Anxiety.
Anxiety made me question my own breathing habits and even dared me to avoid people. I experienced a racing heart, inability to concentrate, shakiness, sweating, and difficulty swallowing. I did not feel like talking to anyone in a mask. It was too much effort. This was not all bad. My boyfriend taught me how to use a drill so that I could build my very own flower plantar box.
In the beginning, I was so afraid of getting started. After getting all the supplies that I needed (ie drill, 1 1/4 bit, screws, cedar, soil, seeds, bulbs, safety gear, and a garden sowing kit), it took me about 7 days to muster up the motivation, energy and drive to learn how to use the motorized wood cutter. Anxiety got in the way.
To overcome Anxiety, I accepted what I was feeling, got more prepared, developed a routine, proceeded to measure & cut and drilled all the screws to hold the wood together without YouTube and Anxiety's help.
While I was engraving the box with a hot burning pen, I began to relax and breathe normally again. The building project turned into an art project with a name "Blue Hood Valley Girl Farm" that came with a cowled woman logo. To break it down, "Blue Hood" is my favorite raincoat. "Valley Girl" is me. And, "Farm" belongs to my lilies and dahlias. I am a hoodie girl. I love wearing a hood.
I spent three hours staining the wood followed by another hour of preparing the box for planting bulbs and seeds. To prepare the box, I placed some garbage bags (with lots of holes) on the bottom and covered it with rocks and soil. If there was something that I enjoyed most, it would have to be digging holes, planting bulbs/seeds, covering it up with soil, and whispering a few magic words. The final task would be watering and waiting for the new arrivals.
In one week, one lily bulb took the stage. Anxiety was gone. COVID-19 pandemic stayed 6 feet away from me. My secret admirers and devoted fans snuggled up against me. I felt so proud of my efforts to be able to do something different. That is, to build an plantar box for my lilies and dahlias.
Honestly, all I had was one year of wood shop class experience from 25 years ago under my belt. So, making a plantar box was personal. I was able to use my strengths and work outside of my comfort zone. It felt so good.
