“Bucky” the Drug Dealer, a Ghost, Ebay and Topsoil

I bet you are wondering how I am going to tie these three topics together into one post?

My project for this weekend was supposed to be securing a yard of topsoil, some peat moss and vermiculite for The Oasis 2. Total cost: approximately $50.00. Instead we dropped just shy of $300.00 on our new gravel; so I had to get creative about how to finance the soil. The seedlings are going crazy, and I have to get them in the ground!

“Bucky” the Drug Dealer buys shrimp from my husband. He is a regular at the dive bar next door to our roadside stand and often comes over to visit with AJ. Lucky was trying to get accepted into a motorcycle gang, and had a quota of drugs to sell for his initiation. A few weeks ago AJ came home to describe how Bucky had pulled a bag of hash from his pocket and tried to sell him some. It made sense that his nick-name is “Bucky” since it seems remarkable that his overt behavior doesn’t have him in jail right now. So, I was understandably dubious when AJ called last Saturday and told me that Bucky’s mother had died and that he was having a private estate sale to sell her vast collection of antiques. The lure of bargain priced treasures overwhelmed my aversion to the seedy underworld; so I jumped at the chance. I called Bucky and he told us where the house was and to meet him there in fifteen minutes. On the drive AJ tried to prepare me for the person I was about to meet, but words seemed to fail him. As I tried to imagine what I was getting into I had the overwhelming sense that there was the spirit of a deceased person in the house. This wasn’t unusual since I often pick up on such things, and especially since we were going to look at the stuff belonging to a woman who had just passed. It didn’t seem like an old lady, though. “Roger” came to mind.

We pulled into the drive of a run down house with a ratty old RV bus in the yard. Bucky was not there yet, but a resident of the house let us in and showed us to the back porch where he figured we were meant to go. The porch ran the width of the house and held a truckload of old stuff piled layer upon layer. This was not the antique furniture we believed we were coming to see, but something resembling a flea market. We dug in and within a few minutes I had filled a large basket with great finds. I am partial to vintage kitchen gadgets and found old juicers, cookie cutters, beaters, a French fry cutter and a potato press (although I didn’t know what that was at the time) and at least a dozen other interesting objects.

A few minutes later Bucky roared into the room. I instantly understood why AJ was at a loss to describe him. The best I can do is “Greasy, yet incredibly likeable”. With his slicked back black hair, his disheveled and mismatched clothes and his jailhouse tats he reminded me of that filthy dog who shows up at your door wagging its raggedy tail and asking to come inside. You know you are going to get fleas, but you just can’t resist giving him a pet. If the motorcycle gang wouldn’t accept him it wasn’t for his lack of looking the part. The majority of bikers around here are serious posers. They put a lot of money and effort into looking like they don’t give a shit what people think. Lucky doesn’t have to spend a dime to look like Hell. He seems to come by it naturally.

After we negotiated for $50.00 worth of goodies, including some collectible dishes that we had not discovered, he took us on a tour of the house to show us the furniture. The main living quarters were actually clean and fresh smelling and seemed to be taken care of by the guy who had let us in. This guy was up to something and scooted off into a back room as soon as he left us on the back porch. As Bucky showed us around the guy happened to be in the garage where he was up to something again. He reminded me of myself trying to clean up as unexpected guests knock on the door. However, I don’t think cleanliness was his concern. The garage reeked of gasoline or acetone. Bucky seemed oblivious to the other guy and his shifty movements as he showed us every piece of furniture that was for sale. After the garage he took us to a side door of the house and through a maze of rooms that all seemed to be rented out to different crackheads; although no one was in them at the time. There were some decent antiques, but I could imagine them crawling with bedbugs. I felt as though I would get dirty just standing in the rooms. We weren’t interested in the furniture, but Bucky told us the good stuff was at his mother’s house. I guess this was just her rental property. Her wake was that night and he invited us to attend so that we could see the really nice furniture and $100,000.00 doll collection, etc. We declined and worked our way out the door with our purchases. Bucky never stopped talking the whole time. AJ said he was not on drugs because he ruined his immunity long ago and had to quit. I guess the effect was residual, because he was full throttle the entire time.

Bucky and the other guy helped carry out all of the stuff we picked out, and we agreed that I would sell what I could on ebay and split anything over $50.00 with him. He also offered to deliver a truckload of whatever I wanted to the flea market if I was interested in having a sale. As we stood in the yard we discussed the house and when it was built. He said that the attic was full of serious wires. He thought that the previous owner was a ham radio operator. Then he went on to describe how they often hear a ham radio in one of the bedrooms., although none exist. AJ said it must be the wires picking up a signal. They both got a look that told me they believed there was more to it. When I said I thought is was something paranormal they both admitted that they believe the house is haunted. The other guy described how you can hear a TV in another room on the other side of the house, when no one is home.Bucky told us that the person who built the house was Portugese. I wonder if his name was Roger?

I cleaned up some of the items and have them posted on ebay. Whatever I make will go towards buying soil. The beaded lampshade has gotten 96 views. This gives me hope that it will sell for a good price. Wish me luck so my beans and melons may have a home soon!

The Gravel Project: Part 4

UPDATE: Please see this post for important results concerning this mulching project!

AJ and I awoke Saturday feeling the pain of the previous day’s labor. He laughed when I told him “I feel like I went to the gym, used every piece of equipment and then fell asleep in the tanning bed.”

With company on the road to our place we pulled ourselves together and set about getting the place ready for company. AJ worked on some projects outdoors while I gave the inside a much needed scrubbing.

After our guests had arrived and we had all eaten dinner, we took to the yard to admire it some more. I have been a rock and fossil hound since as early as I can recall; and have eccentric collections of all sorts of items picked up from in and on the ground. This gravel excited me so much more than the common chipped marble  because this is composed of fossilized shells. We now possess an expanse of million year old relics, many of which have survived in perfect condition. Before sunset and with wine glasses in hand, AJ and I went “beachcombing” on our ancient beach to pick out some great specimens.

Here is a closeup of the #57.

And, here is a closeup of the washed shell gravel.

Here are some of the shells we found. These are true fossils, with no shell material remaining.

Here is a closeup of  my baby carrots.

And here is a closeup of the bibb lettuce.

As dusk settled in I remarked upon how much better the yard smelled with the “catbox” far removed. As if on cue, the wind shifted and blew from the West bringing in the delicious fragrance from the nearby orange groves. Imagine the finest, sweetest citrus air freshener filling all of the outdoors.

Next weekend I will get the soil for The Oasis 2 and get my rapidly growing beans and melons planted. I plan to build a huge trellis out of bamboo, which when grown in should block the monstrous eyesore behind us. The Atomic Veteran is a sweet and kind man, but he chooses to collect junk like a professional hoarder.

The Gravel Project: Part 3

Friday was a looooong day. By sundown the project was completed and we were exhausted.

Here are some shots of our handiwork:

Here is a closeup of the succulent garden.

Here’s the driveway with the car parked in it.

The containers are the beginnings of “The Oasis 2″ More pickle buckets and a polyethylene barrel cut into 1/3rds. It contained a soy based liquid used in spray foam insulation. The MSDS states that it is only dangerous when inhaled. The liquid has solidified and I believe the containers will be fine for garden beds.

AJ filled in the gap behind the banana trees on Saturday. It looks even better now.

Here is The Oasis from the other side. The edges look rough in the photo, but in real life it looks nice. I was thrilled to have enough gravel to expand beyond the banana trees and devil’s backbone. It really feels like a beachy desert island.

The Gravel Project: Part 2

At 11:05 on Friday morning the gravel delivery girl (yes girl) called to say that she was loading up the truck. We had been out prepping for hours, and her timing was perfect.

AJ dug out strips for the driveway while I cleaned up and organized the target areas.

I tidied up “The Oasis” and started moving the loose items out of the way. This is beforehand.

It’s hard to see in this shot, but I’ve got new sprouts of sage, parsley, celery and spinach in the concrete rings, as well as my two year old oregano and some green onions and a pineapple from grocery store cuttings. Up top, some garlic from the grocery store and some ancho chiles sprouting from seed. The lima bean seedlings peek up in the lower right.

Here’s another shot showing the tomatoes, green pepper, dill, baby carrots, basil and three kinds of lettuce.

Within minutes the driver was backing up into our driveway. AJ supervised as neighbor, Ralph watched. Ralph is the park landscaper and this kind of thing is right up his alley.

Erica, the driver, was a cute young woman with a sunny attitude and tight jeans. I think she made Ralph’s day. Wish I would have gotten her picture!

The gravel was divided into sections. We got 3.75 cubic yards of #57 (3/4″ Concreted Limestone). This came out first.

Behind the divider was the treat for me and the oasis: 1 1/4 cubic yards of Washed Shell Gravel. It is finer, cleaner and cost almost twice as much. We laid out a tarp so that it wouldn’t get mixed up with dirt. Then I had the brilliant idea of  pre-loading the buckets, so we placed them in the dump zone and stood back.

Erica, as diplomatic as she was cute, grinned and said “We’ll see what happens. When this stuff comes out, it really comes out.” And like the best laid plans of mice and men, so went ours.

I dubbed this new activity “Gravel Bowling”. I think the buckets were at a distinct disadvantage. We all got a good laugh, though.

Energized, we began what would be a very long day of moving five tons of gravel. Happy Birthday AJ! Although I’m sure you could have thought of better ways to spend it.

The Gravel Project: Part 1

I’ve been so busy I have missed posting quite a few events. Perhaps I’ll get back to that. We have hardly seen a free weekend since I can remember. We have dubbed our RV “Breezeway B&B” since we have guests almost every other weekend (including this one). AJ’s mother and her wonderful boyfriend are here this weekend and through Tuesday. Their coming spurred us to do something we have been planning for quite a while. I’ll start with this “The Gravel Project” and try to catch up on the older events when time permits.

If you are new to this blog you may not know about my raised garden bed project. I started a couple of years ago with some concrete rings and a few herbs.  Last year I moved into vegetables, and this year I am in full survival mode growing as much as I can handle in the event that we encounter “The Greater Depression”. Doomsday or no, I  have genuinely taken an interest in gardening and making a beautiful environment where once was a sandy, stinky catbox of a yard.

For the first bed called “The Oasis” I gathered about 10 pickle buckets and formed them into an oval. I placed my concrete rings on the front and filled the whole thing with two cubic yards of topsoil and compost. Next, AJ harvested and cut a bunch of bamboo stakes, which I painstakingly (no pun intended) pounded into the ground all around the buckets. I started with the surviving herbs from last year and volunteers that popped up in the yard, as well as vegetables from the grocery store that grow when you stick them in the ground. I bought a tomato and green pepper from the flea market and took a break. As it got warmer the urge to really garden kicked in. I spent the money I had saved up for a haircut on heirloom seeds and got to planting as soon as they arrived. Some sprouted within three days!

The armadillos were really tearing up the yard and even getting into my raised bed, so the next phase became more urgent. It’s been extremely dry and we both got very tired of the sand tracking into the RV and cars. AJ has been working nonstop on the Mercedes (another overdue post) and has wanted a gravel driveway to make that easier. On Thursday, I began thinking about the company we were having and the fact that AJ’s high class aunt and uncle were invited over on Monday. It was warm and breezy and the stench of cat doo was wafting through the open windows. It was all I could take. I picked up the phone and called Stone Mountain Gravel. Lo and behold, the gravel I wanted was on sale, and delivered was less expensive than the stuff AJ had priced at another place. Since Friday was his birthday and they could deliver on Friday I promoted this as his birthday present. Even though we would have to charge it and pay it back next week, on payday, he agreed to go have a look.

Within an hour, the gravel was ordered and scheduled for Friday morning delivery. This was a big project, so I’ll break it down into smaller posts.