A few weeks back I read a Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed that implied we should start gauging our progress in life according to happiness and not money or stuff. The idea of the "Happiness Index" is nothing new, but maybe it's an idea whose time has come. So, over the last several months, we have been investing in our Happiness Index First was taking 11 days off in Hawaii for a much needed vacation. Second, was our backyard project with the addition of bees, breaking down the fences and building a garden to feed us physically and mentally. Well, that was more than a few months in the making, but in the last few months we needed both the vacation and the backyard project to work out worry free.
Knowing we were headed toward an 11 day vacation right at the start of growing season, we knew we needed our garden to run on its own. We spent much of May figuring out ways to automate garden and seedling waterings and organizing crop planting schedules. Yep, I am so anal that I have a garden calendar down to daily plantings throughout the spring complete with growing notes.
As we boarded our plane to Hawaii, we left feeling pretty care free about the garden. Our seedlings would keep growing under lights and get watering and
feeding every other day through a flow table. The garden got a light 4am daily watering and soaker hoses kept the berries,
flowers, corn and potatoes happily moving along. The real muscle was in moving all our containers into the watering zones. The morning before leaving, I tucked the first pole and bush bean crops into the soil and planted the second tray of lettuces (the middle tray in the picture).
Happily, I can report all our efforts paid off marvelously. The garden is thriving! The beans got off to a strong start. Sweet corn is nearly two feet tall. Shallots are just simply out of control (flowing over the side of the beds) and the carrots are just poking out of the ground. I even might get lucky with my broccoli and cauliflower this year. Under the lights, the tomatoes, melons and winter squash were ready to transplant as well. And the big bonus. . . . strawberries and kale ready for the picking!
Although I hardly think our investment in the garden and backyard project will pay off in the foreseeable future, I think it good for our Happiness Index. Watching the chickens and bees is far better than watching the tube on some giant TV and eating these fresh picked fruits and veggies can't even compare to cardboard crap from a fast food restaurant. So, after an amazing 11 days away and returning to a yard full of life, I would say our Happiness Index is on the rise.
I still don't miss my TV - not even during the Stanley Cup playoffs!
