Liz Cultivates | L.M. Fern

It’s time for the list of things I didn’t get done this month and the list of things I probably won’t get done next month!

Mostly kidding — I actually did accomplish some things this past month. The garden is getting put together slowly but surely, and I actually finished reading a book in April. Watch out though — I have big plans for May.

Writing & Reading

I finished Spinning Silver, and you can read my review of it now. It was an incredible read. The audio book is available on Libby, the free library app that allows you to check out books from any library where you have a card. It was my first true audio book, and it was sincerely worth the time it took to get used to the audio medium. I think I listened to 10 hours of it in one day at one point (in total it’s around 18 hours).

I did a fair amount of work on the novel, as well. Be on the lookout for some WIP posts this month.

May Goals

On the to-read list for the month:

• Dungeon Crawler Carl
• Onyx Storm
• Way of Kings (as usual)

In the realm of writing . . . I am going to finish my novel. I have the strength. I just need to sit down and focus; in reality, I’ve been procrastinating the end of this novel because I don’t know precisely where it’s going. But I do know enough. I know enough to finish this thing. And then we can go back and fix it in the edit/revisions. It’s so close I can almost feel it. Let’s finish strong!

Crochet and other cozy crafts

My mom is helping my weave in the ends of the temperature blanket, so that project is on hold while she’s doing that. I’m working on a new blanket now (go figure). It’s a C2C (corner-to-corner) blanket using this tutorial. I’m almost halfway done — it’s mostly downhill from here (since the second half will be just decreases).

May Goal

Hoping to finish this new blanket!

Homesteader report: Curse of the bad seeds

Last month, I reported that I had let one batch of seedlings die because I wasn’t able to check on them for a few days. I had replanted them, and the second batch had been doing okay . . . Well, that didn’t last long. Pick whichever excuse you find the most convenient: bad seeds, not enough warmth, temperature fluctuations, etc. (My personal theory is that the batch of zucchini seeds I bought this year were bad.) Regardless, the result is the same: I have no surviving zucchinis or summer squashes, only three tomatoes, and only two cucumbers. I replanted my jalapenos and serranos and have had a bit more luck with those so far.

It’s a bit disheartening, but as I don’t have access to a heated greenhouse and I’m kind of at the whims of the outside temperatures, it’s to be expected that at least some of them would die. And that’s okay! If I can find them, I can get starts from the garden center for anything I didn’t keep alive. I’ll miss my zucchini this year but we’ll be alright without. The spinach and broccoli are doing great, and my lilies are even coming up!

I am still working hard on prepping the beds, as well. These weeds are brutal. It’s hard work!

May Goal

Keep these latest starts alive, and get everything in the ground before June.

Business et ceteras

I think I would like to do some research on starting a limited liability corporation (LLC) and actually starting to do some things related to small business ownership. I have started the process of making a logo with a graphic designer friend, and have been thinking about getting a PO Box for ages.

I started an account on Notion, which is like a fancy to-do app. I want to set it up and see if it can help me keep my head on straight. (. . . But mostly because I love to-do lists.)

Anyway, hope your May is off to a good start. See you in June!