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the_yardening2011-03-17 09:58 pm
gailmom.livejournal.com) wrote in the_yardening2011-03-17 09:58 pm
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My helpers leveled up
Today was another day of random garden bits. Peaches and I planted the rue, lavender, thyme, and two other herbs I'm too lazy to go look up in the dark, as well as putting the purple basil in with the Black Krim tomato, and getting the Sweet 100 (the one the neighbor recommended) put into a hanging pot. (I've run out of space in the garden boxes). Monkey and Peaches had a lot of fun searching through the dirt in the pot for snails before I transplanted and hung the tomato.
The kids are dutifully peeing in a bucket for me...since I can't use my own, and some of my squashes have that "old growth is yellow, new growth is happy" thing that seems to indicate they could really use a nitrogen boost. The things you get asked to do when your mom is a hippie. I did have some fun having to explain to Monkey why he could not pee directly on the plants that need it. The idea he would risk "burning" them with the product of his penis cracked him up.
~facepalm~
We have now seen the first strawberry ripen (Peaches has decided to give it one or two more days before she harvests), the beginning of the first tomato, and the first hint of a pepper. We are all very excited, checking them all for new growth and blossoms each day.
We did some more painting on the concrete planters. They are looking much better. And we can now see the tiny beginnings of the first seeds I've ever successfully sprouted. Typical that these would be two of the ones I just stuck in a pot and hoped over. ~rolls eyes~
My Monkey is a very considerate person. He had Peaches paint "Mr Yuck" on top of the decorative piece he painted...and after a few days I still just could not bring myself to look at it and imagine it in my garden without getting the willies. When I explained how I felt, he offered to paint over it and make it a smiley face instead. Something he did today. I feel very cared about, and I told him so.
I set up to cut boards so I could put together the volunteer bed today, and the kids wanted to help. I had them measuring and marking and helping hold the board, and then they asked if they could help with the cutting. I said I didn't think so, and Peaches asked why. There was a long silence as I sawed and thought, and then I had to honestly answer that the only reason I could think of was that I was uncomfortable. So I had her call her dad and we consulted. His take was that, given it is a 12 inch (including handle) pull saw, there was no reason (other than a need for accuracy or speed) that they couldn't help. Given that this isn't exactly a project that requires either, they each got to do a cut.
Peaches enjoyed it but said it was far more difficult than it looked, and was relieved to hear that not following the line perfectly did not really matter in this project. She also thought it neat that I was holding the end of the board with my legs (instead of how Monkey had with his arms) and was very into the ensuing discussion of lower and upper body strength and how to utilize whichever you have more of.
Monkey did a perfect job! Right on the line, fewer false starts than either Peaches or I had, and no difficulty at the end (like I almost always do). He announced that this felt familiar and right, and so we have concluded he must of have used these tools a lot in a former life, since his soul remembers. He looks forward to teaching this body to do it. He says he built houses in a different body.
Peaches has stated that in a former life, she was a monkey.
This would explain her ease with heights.
I had a funny (to me anyway) moment after we got the bed in place and I had filled it. I was digging up the volunteers to transplant and noticed that one pan full of dirt and plant was crawling with ants. Lucky for me, not fire ants. I carefully picked out the plant, then walked over and dumped the dirt into the chicken pen.
Chickens are FAST when they want to be. Ants are apparently tasty.
I am still a good Hindu who respects life because I successfully resisted the urge to go get them more ants.
and now, the pictures:
First tomato; coming soon to a Patio tomato plant near yo...er...me.
First green bell pepper, plus siblings-to-be in blossom form
The sweet 100 in it's privileged place (I ran out of room, but don't tell it, it thinks it is special)
Tiny baby sunflowers...no really, they are right...there..and...there..(this feels like trying to show someone your sonogram pic) Can you see them?
Before fresh paint and concrete sealer...
after! (there are two more, but they aren't finished yet)
Mr Yuck...(with a bonus Monkey foot)...
Becomes a happy face!
The kids are dutifully peeing in a bucket for me...since I can't use my own, and some of my squashes have that "old growth is yellow, new growth is happy" thing that seems to indicate they could really use a nitrogen boost. The things you get asked to do when your mom is a hippie. I did have some fun having to explain to Monkey why he could not pee directly on the plants that need it. The idea he would risk "burning" them with the product of his penis cracked him up.
~facepalm~
We have now seen the first strawberry ripen (Peaches has decided to give it one or two more days before she harvests), the beginning of the first tomato, and the first hint of a pepper. We are all very excited, checking them all for new growth and blossoms each day.
We did some more painting on the concrete planters. They are looking much better. And we can now see the tiny beginnings of the first seeds I've ever successfully sprouted. Typical that these would be two of the ones I just stuck in a pot and hoped over. ~rolls eyes~
My Monkey is a very considerate person. He had Peaches paint "Mr Yuck" on top of the decorative piece he painted...and after a few days I still just could not bring myself to look at it and imagine it in my garden without getting the willies. When I explained how I felt, he offered to paint over it and make it a smiley face instead. Something he did today. I feel very cared about, and I told him so.
I set up to cut boards so I could put together the volunteer bed today, and the kids wanted to help. I had them measuring and marking and helping hold the board, and then they asked if they could help with the cutting. I said I didn't think so, and Peaches asked why. There was a long silence as I sawed and thought, and then I had to honestly answer that the only reason I could think of was that I was uncomfortable. So I had her call her dad and we consulted. His take was that, given it is a 12 inch (including handle) pull saw, there was no reason (other than a need for accuracy or speed) that they couldn't help. Given that this isn't exactly a project that requires either, they each got to do a cut.
Peaches enjoyed it but said it was far more difficult than it looked, and was relieved to hear that not following the line perfectly did not really matter in this project. She also thought it neat that I was holding the end of the board with my legs (instead of how Monkey had with his arms) and was very into the ensuing discussion of lower and upper body strength and how to utilize whichever you have more of.
Monkey did a perfect job! Right on the line, fewer false starts than either Peaches or I had, and no difficulty at the end (like I almost always do). He announced that this felt familiar and right, and so we have concluded he must of have used these tools a lot in a former life, since his soul remembers. He looks forward to teaching this body to do it. He says he built houses in a different body.
Peaches has stated that in a former life, she was a monkey.
This would explain her ease with heights.
I had a funny (to me anyway) moment after we got the bed in place and I had filled it. I was digging up the volunteers to transplant and noticed that one pan full of dirt and plant was crawling with ants. Lucky for me, not fire ants. I carefully picked out the plant, then walked over and dumped the dirt into the chicken pen.
Chickens are FAST when they want to be. Ants are apparently tasty.
I am still a good Hindu who respects life because I successfully resisted the urge to go get them more ants.
and now, the pictures:
First tomato; coming soon to a Patio tomato plant near yo...er...me. First green bell pepper, plus siblings-to-be in blossom form The sweet 100 in it's privileged place (I ran out of room, but don't tell it, it thinks it is special)Tiny baby sunflowers...no really, they are right...there..and...there..(this feels like trying to show someone your sonogram pic) Can you see them? Before fresh paint and concrete sealer...after! (there are two more, but they aren't finished yet)Mr Yuck...(with a bonus Monkey foot)...Becomes a happy face!
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Now I'm really happy I chose it to receive the blessing of the basil. :)
~crosses mental fingers~