My First House

Summer has begun and it feels soooooo good. Sipping coffee in the morning from a porcelain cup with no traffic to sit in, reading, day dreaming, going to Master Gardener monthly meetings and garden parties, hiking, playing with Jet and Lee, my two adoring little doggie brothers I like to call them, and most especially, writing on my blog.

I know it's been a while since my last post; I'm sorry. Your Garden Gallivanter spends more time gallivanting than writing and that I will work on. I promise. Because a lot has happened since May. A lot of beautiful things have grown in the garden and should be noted. Remembered. 

This is how Spring 2015 looked like in our Garden.

The "Big Veggie Bed," a forest of sunflowers and veggies.

With over 300 hundred kids coming through the garden each week, and the new commute since moving back home to Temple City from Silverlake ( to save up for something big!), I was beginning to feel worn out and burnt out towards the last two months of school. Every day was going too fast and there were no breaks to the cycle to getting to work, gardening, teaching, getting back home, sleeping, rising to the sun to get back to work...I found myself taking long naps after getting home from work and waking myself up in that surprised-I-missed-my-alarm state thinking I was late for work but it was really only 7pm...ever experience that?

And, the greatest change was that going to the school garden began to feel like work, the "job" kind of work, and that's when I had to step back and recalibrate. But, every day, when I saw my students, it felt so worth it. And I feel the support from my parent volunteers, like they are a part of this something greater that is a garden space. They are making it their own, and I am so happy for this evolution. 

WE did it! 3rd graders met our goal to raise $$ for our toolshed this year. 

I mean, really, if it wasn't for their love of the garden, we would not have accomplished the greatest feat of this year: building our toolshed! Or, for me, it felt like building a new house, and I was building it with my garden family. It has that feel of a house, I can fit inside of it and it took planning and collaboration and a bit of tug-of-war to get. And it smells lovely, like cedar. The books are happy with custom-shelving designed by Victoria. Seeds have their place in seed binders, organized by Cassey; the shovels and gloves are happy. No more playing Tetris as I did with the former termite-dilapidated toolshed, where everything was make-shift inside and there was no space. The only thing I regret is not having taken a picture of the eyesore!

But what's gone is gone, in this case happily so, and here, in my overdue post, I'll tell you the story of how my first house was built.

So back in March, our toolshed which we ordered from Osh, was delivered to our school. But actually, the story really begins last year in May, when my 2nd grade gardeners decided to set a goal and raise $1,000 for a new toolshed. We were going to raise this money via our beloved Garden Stand. And in March, even before the end of the school year, we reached that goal! So, I put in the order, which Victoria, our personal interior designer and mother of my two sweet garden students in Kinder and 2nd Grade, recommended. She also helped me take measurements of our entire garden and we brainstormed together how to enliven the space and what size toolshed would be possible.

Months later, after getting approved by school admin, the toolshed came in about 7 different parts and we had our handy dads and moms come one weekend, my Garden Groupies, to help build and paint. And we finished it in 2 days!! We had this baby built and painted before Spring Break! I was just hoping to get it here by Spring Break. But, these Garden Groupies mean business, and when they set their hearts to something, they get it done.

Day 1: Saturday

John was the first to arrive and with 2 swings demolished old shed.

Bye Bye old shed that I bummed my head on every day!

Kinder-recruited Dad Eric: professional builder. Enough said.

Soo helped sharpen and clean tools with sand and boiled linseed oil & got paint!

Andrew and JP arrived to put the other sides up and started working on doors.

Jiselle collected succulents from around school for succulent roof, phase II.

Day 2: Sunday

Painting Day; Eric's color combo; Loeb reinforcement arrives. 

Victoria and JP work on hanger for the gloves and shelving inside. 

Happy gloves! Dry and paired! Victoria's ingenious and practical idea!!

Julie, Gabi and Jolie painting all sides of toolshed. 

Victoria, our designer, adds finishing touches. So Adorable!

Happy kiddos, my garden students hanging out with us too. 

Victoria,  JP and Eric measured and purchased for custom shelving. 

Actual floor space to step onto!

JP: last man standing. 

Welcome Home

Home, Sweet Home. 

Cheers to my Garden Groupies (some were not able to make it): Afroza, Andrew, Bea, Cassey, Cindy, Eric, Jiselle, John, Jolie, Julie (also my co-cooking teacher), Robertino, Soo, Tai, and Victoria. Without whom, the garden wouldn't feel like home. 

*photos by Tiffanie Ma