Month: April 2013

How My Garden Grows

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Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
How Does Your Garden Grow? 

Perhaps I’ve been reading too many Mother Goose rhymes.

My garden looks like it isn’t growing at all.

It always looks horrible in the Spring. The few seeds that have been planted are still buried under the earth and the warm weather plants, like tomatoes and watermelon, won’t be planted until Mother’s Day.

This year, the garden is actually looking better than normal for at least the garlic is growing.

Like every previous year except the year Elly was born, the vegetable garden has been expanded. A new grow bed was added in front. (We use this model and this model). It will house asparagus, eventually, since asparagus takes a year or two before it produces a good crop.

 

If all seeds and plants take in my vegetable garden, I will be able to harvest the following: spinach, swiss chard, corn, tomatoes, parsley, basil, peas, zucchini, garlic, two types of mint, blueberries, strawberries, pumpkins, watermelon and a few other herbs.

Elly has asked for broccoli. I might squeeze in one plant just for her.

And to think that I hated gardening 8 years ago. Ha!

Sunday Snapshots (of a new haircut)

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Cutting hair is not one of my talents. After my last attempt to cut Elly’s bangs, I knew it was time to call in the professionals.

Elly spent the entire drive to the salon telling me that she did not need a haircut. At the salon, Elly cried when I tried to get her sit in the chair. So, she sat on my lap. Very little hair was actually cut off. Elly really just needed her hair to be shaped.

After the haircut was over, Elly spent the next few minutes telling me she didn’t like her hair.

All that changed when we got home and Daddy told her how beautiful she looked. Now she loves her new hairdo.

A Cat Rug

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The bedroom rug is now large enough for a cat to sleep on it.

A small cat that is.

Of course, a cat would never survive in our home. Jake is certain that cats belong in the same category as all small furry creatures: retrievable animals. Jake is a Golden Retriever after all.

As much as Elly loves cats, she has never asked to have one as a pet. The answer would be no not only because of Jake but also because of Dan as he is allergic to cats.

Elly has her sights set a bit higher. She wants a horse and had told me matter-of-factly that she is going to have a horse as a pet.

The Case of the 4-inch Window

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One window in our living room has had a 4-inch window.

It was designed around the AC unit that came with the house. As everything that came with the house, the AC unit was at least 30 years old. Naturally, the old AC unit died.

The new AC unit was not as large as the old unit. For at least 2 years, we have had a piece of wood jammed in between the new AC unit and the 4-inch window.

My neighbor who designed the 4-inch window is terribly proud of his invention.

The local window company agreed with our assessment: a 4-inch window is stupid to have.

On Friday, the old window was removed and a new window was installed.

I can’t wait for warm Spring weather to arrive. For the first time in 8 years, I will be able to open this window.

Elly loved the whole process. She loved chatting with Chad, the gent who installed our new window. She even loved helping me clean up the mess afterwards.