family and garden

last week some family members did the meanest thing to me.... they left :(


My front yard tulips opened just for the occasion so at least I can still look at them.


Melanie came for the weekend and I don't know if she'll be up again soon since I put her right to work in my garden and didn't let her stop till it was done.... just kidding. I did let her eat. She was such a good help and she admitted that my style of gardening is a good workout (lots of digging and bending and hauling, and cutting, repeat and repeat). I feel bad that she got sunburned. I forgot that Vegas girl has been out of the sun, cooped up inside and up in Seattle where the sun don't shine.

Angela and Mom came to stay over Friday night on their way to Idaho, and I even got them to plant a few onions and pull a few weeds while we waited to get Alec, his friend, and Cora over for dinner and an evening walk to Farr's for icecream.










Gaige and Amy came Saturday evening and stayed over till they caught their ride back to Montana on Sunday. We went to Hot Pot for dinner and had an early night of it since everyone was exhausted. I made squash mac and cheese for Melanie before she headed back. I noticed that if I work hard on Saturday/Friday that the Sunday meal is less impressive and vice versa.








I don't know why everyone came on the same weekend. I'm not complaining, only its easier to say goodbye if I know I've got someone else to visit the next week. This way I probably won't see anyone until fall... :(



Melanie helped me get the 2 pea beds ready, an onion bed, potato bed (which takes a LOT of work), cleaned off a window bed and the tree bed. Really got me a good start for spring planting! I planted the peas Tuesday, various lettuces and greens Friday.


Yesterday, Saturday, Cathy came and helped me dig the back wall bed and the bed for the beans. Two shovels are twice as fast as one! I got my other early vegetables all planted (khol rabi, beets, parsnips, replanted lettuce that the cats walked over), but ran out of poops before getting the last onion patch planted. I also worked on "trimming" my neighbors tree.


This time I decided to not just cut everything that hangs over my side of the fence, but to go back a bit and cut of branches that start on their side and end up on my side.... hoping that it'll let more light unto that part of the garden.

All thats left before I leave for vacation is carrots. Thats a shorter bed due to the rhubarb so it shouldn't take too long. I'll only have three long beds left to prepare left in the main garden when I come back! Fortunately I'll still need to work on the side beds and that will take wielding the pick axe so I'll be a happy camper :)

As I worked pretty hard yesterday, today's meal won't be too spectacular. Fortunately ham just needs to be heated through, nothing too complicated :)

Just wanted to wish you all a happy Easter. I love watching the earth be reborn in spring. The optimism that this year my garden will be great. Tending my garden brings me great joy, and as a labor I try to remember the more important things and the lessons that come from tilling the earth. The scriptures have a lot of gardening references.... I'm grateful for this time of year to reflect on the real meaning of life and the ultimate gift and sacrifice given in spring 2000 years ago.