b'Greetings from the Garden,I ts been another busy week here on the ranch adjusting to the new normal. Bulls have begun walking down main street during lunch (we eat outside) as the boundaries between Civilization and the Wild West gradually break down with the population being so low. Who knows what this place will be like once humans finally return? E verywhere nature is booming. The bright fuscia of the redbud trees contrasting with the truest green of the cottonwoods is positively dreamy. Each new iris to bloom is a new color of the rainbow: yellows, pinks, purples, creamy whites, with all sorts of nuance. The irises in the rainwater garden, the mulched and planted area between Founders and the parking lot, are even showing off (Cholla for scale). In fact, that whole area is thriving with the deep blanket of wood chips and special drains harvesting rainwater from the nearby roof that direct bonus moisture to the new plant inhabitants mimicking the smartest parts of nature. With the weather cooperating so far this springthink mild temperatures with no recent severe frost and regular moisturemany plants both human planted and otherwise seem to be living their best lives right now. Silly plants, dont they know the economy is tanking? S peaking of plants being immune to global scale turmoil, the greenhouse is quite a vi-sion of hope and resilience. Our self-saved seed is out-competing the store bought stuff in both lettuce and tomato germination trials. This year the majority of the plants we will enjoy are being grown from seed that we gathered from the garden. Having our own seed storage is helping us grow stronger plants, saving us money, and improving our ability to self-sus-tain. A fun experiment Ive been doing since everyone left is watering the bathtub soil over which we would process our seeds during win-ter. Inspired by one brave bean, I was curious what else would grow. Results have been abun-dant and have brought in their own wildlife! L ettuce hauls remain healthy and the calendula flowers are multiplying exponen- The greenhouse is always full of surprises.tially. Swiss chard is also gracing the menu this week. The prehistoric looking leaves are full of vitamins and minerals, and can be used both raw and cooked. Many report enjoying adding them to their morning smoothies just as much as to their egg scrambles. It can replace kale in a salad, just be sure to massage a little of the dressing into the leaves. Treat it as you would spinach in most recipes. I always like to finish my cooked greens with a little vinegar or citrus to brighten the flavor. Grow-ing swiss chard is fairly easy, but it does prefer temperatures under 90F. It struggles through our summers, but jumps back to life during fall, so when to grow it will depend on where you live. Leaves can be up to a foot long so give it some space if you want to see its full potential. Yes, Im giving you this information because hope-fully some of you will get your families to grow some of your own food while youre living there just like you do back at home, er, I mean Orme. Feel free to ask me any questions about gardening, in fact please do. Im starting to feel the drain of not explaining what Im doing five times a day. #teacherstrugglesT hank you for reading. From the bottom of the deep aquifer to the tops of the sycamore trees, this land misses its people. I hope you are all well wherever you are, and have some time to go out and enjoy that place (as long as you do your gosh-darned home-work, too). With gratitude,J . Wolfe'