Editor’s note: Karen Harris Tully is a writer who lives in Raymond and has agreed to keep a journal to share with Daily World readers during the odd and uncertain time we’re all navigating.

Dear Journal,

I woke up wanting to go shopping sooo badly. I’ve been stuck at home for what seems like forever with two arguing kids, and no end in sight, and it’s raining. Again. We’re lucky. I know we’re lucky, my husband is working from home, plus I’m an introvert. This is probably easier on me than it is on a lot of people. Still, I made a list of all the things we were running low on, all the things we could possibly need, or want, or even moderately desire. A wish list, from my favorite out-of-town store. I got ready to go … and then I thought about it. Did I actually need most of those things? Well, no. Can I make spaghetti sauce? Yeah, probably. We did need milk because the fam goes through it like water, but did I have to go out of town? Mmm, I guess not. Grumble, grumble.

Instead, we planted the new garden bed, and planned a second. I tried to teach the kiddos about spacing seeds for planting, but suffice it to say that in a few weeks, we’ll be doing a lot of thinning. My son got bored, with packets of seeds in hand. He thought it would be a great idea to just start tossing them into the air over the garden bed, carrots and lettuce and spinach and beets. I have no idea what will be coming up where.

We also started seeds inside in Dixie cups. Three seeds per cup, six cups per vegetable. My daughter somehow went through an entire packet of cherry tomato seeds. Oh well. It was a good first attempt. And I want to give a shout-out to the local companies who made it possible with their generous gifts to local families. A huge Thank You to Ambrosia Technology and Adam Zeigler for their Sea-Crop plant nutrient, to Dennis Company for donating a great variety of seeds, and to PacificGro for the fish fertilizer.

Thank you for teaming up to gift these home garden kits to local families last week. The kiddos and I are putting ours to use.

Song of the day: Let it Be, The Beatles

Karen Harris Tully is a novelist living in Raymond with her husband and two small children. She writes sci-fi/fantasy for teens and adults and can be found at www.karenharristully.com.