The wood had been lying out in all weather for years. Since I wasn't going to try and nail into what was probably nearly petrified wood, I drilled pilot holes and used deck screws. Having always been put off by the idea of cutting the top on the diagonal to slope toward the sun, I took the easy way out and decided to just tilt the thing in the ground. The two sections actually matched and the fine double-glazed window found in an outbuilding fit perfectly. It was a big surprise to me.
The next step was a bit of a disaster. I had a tube of expired Silicone caulk that was very hard to squeeze out of the gun. I pressed the rope caulk into the cracks, whereupon it stopped being hard and became a big sticky mess. Later, it looked a lot like wax. It gave me a big lesson on using material that expired in 2010.
Later, I asked Lissa to help me carry the heavy open boxes to the garden. She carried them easily by herself, declining my puny help. She even finished excavating the hole in the clay soil that I had started. She's such a dutiful and helpful daughter.
Even though we just came through another dry summer, hope springs eternal in this gardener's heart. Come spring, I'll start some plants in this contraption and try again. I may even get some horse manure from a herd of Palominos down the road and make it into a hotbed of seed-starting.
