Chapter 11: Spring Planting

Two Voices asked the Cheese if anyone knew how to plow with horses, the Cheese asked Jo, Jo asked Vickie, Vick asked Bill, Bill asked Chione. Chione asked Jimmy. Jimmy laughed. "Dude!" So, as the Six figured would probably happen, Jo called a town meeting.

"I hate town meetings," said Jo. "Cheese, you're supposed to be in charge. Why don't you do it."

That was much more a command than a question. (which tells you who is really in charge) The Cheese addressed the assembled thong ... er ... throng.

"I've been wondering if any of you have any idea what the hey we're doing here. If I hadn't been in on the choosing I wouldn't know where here is.

"I can tell you what I know. This particular place, right here, is the safest spot, geologically, on the continent for the next Ten Thousand years. The Two Voiced One has what she/he calls a map. It maps time too. Way cool map.

"The last Ice Age is just over. Yeah, yeah, I know ... What the fuck! The Native American precursors aren't here yet.

"We ARE IT! No police, no parents, except Carol, and Carol's Mom and her Mom's sister. Hi Carol ... looking good, Carol! Besides them is there anyone over 25? How about 24?... 23? (the Cheese's hand went up) You mean to tell me I'm the oldest person here? ... Shit fire, ain't that just groovy.

"Well, we claim we want to change the world. Tune in Turn on Drop out! I guess we get to do it. It's just us. THERE ARE NO OTHER PEOPLE ON THIS CONTINENT!

"Your parents are 17 thousand years in the future. No running home to mommy. No cars, no trucks, no contrails in the sky, no roads, no gas stations, no taxes, no crime unless you're the criminal, but we get to vote.

"My wife is sitting there laughing at me. I think the first thing we need to do is choose a Chief. Chief's aren't dictators. The Chief is the person who says, "We need to have a meeting." I'd like to throw the idea up for a vote. I nominate Jo for Chief. Oh no, you can't decline the nomination. Yup, I'm a rat bastard! Who else?"

Jo said, "If this isn't a dirty rotten stinking turn of events, I don't know what is. Unanimous my ass, I hate you all! There is an upside though ... Hey ladies, We're in politics! And we're President!

"I don't suppose anyone has noticed, but there's no supermarkets here. Heck ... there's not even a MiniMart. Hey, it's spring. Two Voices has been pretty decent about supplying our needs and is planning to keep doing it until harvest. So ... I guess it's time we thought about planting crops. Growing our own ... We were given some cut and dried rules by the Two Voiced One about how this is supposed to work. My first reaction to cut and dried rules is always "Fuck no! I'm not doing that." But then I got to thinking that I like to eat and Two Voices is planning to leave after Samhain. The Cheese is going to start digging today. Sit back down, Cheese. Two Voices has seeds of damn near anything that grows. I figure we can plant a small garden big enough to feed me and mine with fresh vegetables all summer and dried veggies during the winter.

"There is another way, though. We have horses. Is there anyone who knows how to use a horse drawn plow? Gran?! Aunt Beckie? I never even considered it. Folks, Aunt Beckie looks 18, Two Voices did that. She's really 70 and Grans older sister. She was given a choice and she chose starting over but keeping her experience. That's true bravery. I'd be terrified.

"OK, we can have individual gardens and the hassle of keeping the bugs and rodents out 50 or so small plots. We can group together and have several like minded larger gardens and share the weeding and keeping the bugs and rodents away. We can have one big garden and share equally. One big garden means we can use the horses and plow and that sounds good to me, The Cheese hates shoveling. Poor baby. It's hard on his delicate hands.

"We need to discuss what things you like ( well duh). Tomatoes are the number one thing, and they are easy to grow and don't take much space if you use cages to keep them vertical rather than sprawling. Some people can't do without corn, but they have a longer growing season taking up space, and you really can only count on one ear per plant in a garden. However you can plant melons, pumpkins, squash, potatoes or sweetpotatoes in the same space and pole beans will use the corn stalk for the pole. Okra, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, are also in the garden a long time but produce a continuous supply of food.

"Vegetables for a garden, because of the space and the amount produced, are bush snap and lima beans; leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, mustard, and turnips; green onions; tomatoes; sweet peppers; and eggplant. If space permits, add broccoli, cabbage, hot peppers, okra, summer squash, and Southern peas. Cucumbers, which normally take a lot of ground space, can be trellised.