My Growing Garden

Hawthorne eloquently captures the (freakish) obsession I have with my garden - except that he doesn't include the lengthy conversations I have with my veggies (no worries, they don't talk back!):

"I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mosses from an Old Manse

I added peas (above), strawberries and cauliflower (below) to this year's garden (among other things that I don't have pictures of)

Deadly Digitalis (aka "Foxglove")

One of several varieties of squash

Random flower pot - I love the plant hook! I found a pair of these at a garage sale a couple of years ago and paid only 50 cents!

One end of the garden. You can see at the bottom of the picture that I over-composted (there are a few rows that are "burned," I think from too much nitrogen).

The other end of the garden, home to all the tomatoes. I planted twice as many this year, so we should be able to eat our own tomatoes into January 2010 (I think I better learn how to can)!

We've decided that the current garden is not enough, so we'll start cultivating another chunk of the yard in the fall to prepare for even more planting next year! Bring on the seeds and steer poop!

I...refuse...to...complain...

...but a break from 3 days of almost 90 degree weather is awfully nice!

Zoya Does Some Ranting

We were driving back from hiking on Saturday and Dylan and Zoya were bickering in the backseat. After we settled the argument (or so I thought) everything was quiet for a bit, until Zoya handed this up to us:

Translation:

"Dylan is the F word"

"Dylan is the I word"

"Dylan is the H word"

"Dylan is the B word"

"Dylan is the S word"

"Dylan is the SH word"

I am very proud of a few of things here:

First, her handwriting is EXCELLENT!

Second, so is her spelling.

Third, for having such a potty-mouthed mother, she does NOT know what those words are - yet - so she has to resort to using initials!

(When she asks what the "b-word," or "s-word," is, we've been telling her things like, "brain, bottle, belly button," and "sandwich, snack, sunflower")

Sunshine, how I love thee

Spring is definitely upon us in the great NW, and summer weather keeps trying to sneak in from time to time too. Last weekend it was in the mid-70's and Zoya decided to set up a lemonade stand on the corner. She ended up making over $10! At 25 cents a cup, that's a lot of lemonade!

Brother helped a little too (for a small fee) :)

A few weeks ago the weather was nice enough that we were able to go on our first hiking trip of the year - we went up to the Boulder River waterfall. It was so beautiful and lush, and the smell of the spring forest was so yummy! It was about 4 miles round trip, and the fact that Zoya made it without whining gives me hope that we might be able to do some real camping this summer (you know, the kind where you hike into an alpine lake and stay for a week. Well, maybe not a week, but at least a few days)

This area is one of few remaining low elevation old-growth forests in the Cascades. Some of these trees are as old as 750 yrs!

Dylan contemplating life's mysteries at the smaller waterfall

An attempt at sibling affection

It's hard to see in the small version of this picture, but you may note that Dylan is, in fact, taller than his Dad.

This tree was so cool - its roots are wrapped around a nurse-log (stump, actually)

Here they are at the end of the trail. They NEVER cooperate with a good pose for these pictures!

Who can name this song?

Mom, neither you nor my sisters should have any trouble with this one. I couldn't resist taking the picture! And I think they're really supposed to be eagles, but the idea remains.

And the dainty fawn slowly lowered her delicate head into the placid water and went...

Grrrr...

I don't know how some of you people post so quickly and frequently...it takes me F-O-R-E-V-E-R to type these things up. And then there are the pictures to upload.........

There must be a secret.