Garden Update

I’ve been so slack about posting on my multitude of blogs lately. That’s because I’ve been spending most of my time outside when it’s not raining. When it is raining, I’ve been grading my students’ homework and finals or playing with the boys (or fishing out the stuff the baby puts in the commode).

Yesterday the Man commented that the garden was really growing up! It’s true, the potato plants are up to my knees, the pole beans are just starting to search for something to climb on, and one of my tomato bushes has tiny little tomatoes on it. Corn, sunflowers, squash and okra are all looking stronger. I dumped out the rest of my herb seeds in small pockets of open area in the gardens, and the basil is starting to grow true leaves. The lettuce looks gorgeous but is downright bitter. I read that refrigeration for a couple days can take the edge off, but I’m not counting on it.

I had plans of sharing all these clever little projects with you, but as it turns out, the boys are quite content to make up their own adventures. The Man-child is always on, in, or pulling something with wheels. The Baby is usually holding shovels or dropping them in the catch-bucket under the spigot. My trick to keeping them entertained is to not entertain them and not have too many rules.

The Neighbor has been asking the Man-child to help him drive the “tractor” for over a full year now, but despite his adoration of tractors, the Man-child has always chickened out just as I’m handing him off. Yesterday he saw the Neighbor mowing the lawn and panicked, “Wait for me!” So he finally drove and got to steer. He had so much fun that he shouted across our yard about 27 times to our neighbor, “The tractor was fun, wasn’t it!?” He has been invited to assist again next weekend.