Garden Update: For Real

I am finally able to post an update on our garden! I am so proud of it...I couldn't narrow down the photos. Please indulge me while I share.

First, for posterity, here is a picture of the front of our house. The Snap Dragons haven't really filled in like I had imagined...and they are not variegated like I thought they would be, but they look pretty cute!The garden! I just can't believe how it has taken off! I took these pictures five days ago, and even now, the cucumbers have continued to grow and the tomatoes are bigger than ever.Early Girls.
Strawberries.Bell peppers.
Heirloom: Lemon Boys.

Beautiful basil.

Beets for pickling.

Jalapeno.

Heirloom: Cherokee Purple.

"Beefy support" for my aggressive killer cucumbers.

This guy is currently being pickled.

These guys were turned into cucumber salad.

Pretty!

Richard's garden stone. Shirley made one, too, but surprisingly, it can not support the weight of a mommy stepping on it. Or maybe it's not surprising.

Romas.

Better Boys.

Will there come a time when I can't remember what we did or didn't do with a specific vegetable? I hope not! The day after I took these pictures, the tomatoes sustained a lot of wind damage. They drooped over and got completely tangled. They are looking better, but I was pretty worried for a couple of days. The truth is, this is just a TINY fraction of the tomatoes we're going to have and if some don't survive I'll still have tomatoes coming out my ears.

I just can't imagine what it must have been like to have to grow food for your family and depend on the family garden for a whole year's worth of food! I think about pioneer women, and women like my great-grandmothers who tended gardens every year in order to feed their families. I am so thankful that if this doesn't work out I can still go to the grocery store for fresh, healthy food!

New Computer

Richard: You should take the plastic off the cover.
Erin: No!
R: Are you gonna take the stickers off?
E: No!
R: Can I open the battery?
E: No!
R: Why?
E: Then it's not new anymore!
R: You're crazy.
E: Why don't you just sneeze on it and break it in.

I'm a heavy.

Sometimes when one of us has a headache, it feels really good to have the other lift straight up on our heads to relieve some of the strain in the neck. I'm sure we are a chiropractic nightmare, but, hey. It helps. Last night, I asked Richard to do this for me.
Richard, lifting: Grunt, strain, grunt.
Erin: The human head is heavy, isn't it?
Richard: Well, actually, I think it's all the other stuff attached to the head that makes it heavy.
Erin: Are you calling me fat?
Richard: I, uh...um, wait. Ah. Um. Oh, I uh... What?

Garden update...sort of.

I am unable to upload pictures of my garden lately, so you'll just have to trust me when I say that it is OUT. OF. CON. TROL.
Getting pretty excited around here.
Gotta go look up pickling recipes.
HOPEFULLY, pictures coming soon!

What Harry Potter Means to Me

So...I went at midnight last night to see the last ever Harry Potter movie.
It was funny: as the movie drew to a close, I couldn't help but feel sad. Harry and I have been friends for a long time. Longer than I've known my husband. Longer than I was in high school. Or college. Longer than I've been a parent. Or known who I want to be when I grow up. We have a history.
Say what you want about the Harry Potter books, but something much bigger is going on here for me. Something bigger than the story on paper. His story has become a part of mine, simply because he's been here all this time. There are other characters that are a part of me--Kinsey Millhone, Anne Shirley, Emily of New Moon, Nancy Drew, Jose and Ursula from *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, and Clay from *Memoirs of a Demon.* I know they aren't real, but I carry them with me and always will.
As an adult, the books that have made a lasting impression on me are fewer and far between than when I was a child. A book that lives and breathes and grows with you is a rare and cherished thing.
I have felt for a long time that God shows his abounding love for me in fictional literature. He created me this way--to read and write and enjoy. I am so thankful for his intricate planning and love for me that I can find such joy in the written word and turn my face to him while doing it.
Anyway, Harry, I'll miss you. It's been a good run.

There's a parenting analogy here somewhere.

Here's why gardening is so satisfying:
You put the plants where you want them.
You can cage many of them, and tie others to stakes to ensure proper growth.
It's approximately a one-hour-per-day commitment.
Water daily.
Feed weekly.
Allow time to grow.
Shelter from cold.
Protect from pests.
Produce fruits.
Take the winter off.

Deck!

What's this? ANOTHER home improvement project? You got that right. We are on a roll.
Our deck formerly had an incredibly ugly privacy "screen" on two of its corners, protecting us from the prying eyes of our neighbors. Here's the thing, though: there's nothing to see but an ugly privacy screen. Our house sits so far back from the street and other houses that we are fairly secluded and have no need for the ugly thing.

Once again, I forgot to take a real "before" picture, but looking at this, you can probably get the idea.

Finished tearing down.
Pedro's checking out Richard's work.

Tear down from a different angle.

Helping Daddy build!

Two sides finished. Third railing almost fabricated.

The Richards.

Finished!

Next weekend's project will be to paint the deck all the same color as the fence, and then I think we may be--dare I say it?--finished with our big projects for the summer.

More Projects

Our neighbor gave me a flat of Snapdragons last week and said, "I think these would look great in front of your house."
Subtle, right?
Not one to look a gift dragon in the mouth, however, I got to work.

First, I had a hosta to plant.
Before:

After.

Before the Snapdragons:

After.
They will grow to be 18-36 inches high and be very colorful in front of the house. I can't wait to see them in full bloom!

Updates to follow!

Satisfaction!

Little else has given us as much satisfaction on this project as what we accomplished today:

We finally got rid of the pile of sand and the pile of busted up concrete today. In 100 degree weather, no less. YEAH! Also, you would not BELIEVE the creatures we found living in our pile of concrete. It's been less than a week! I should charge Toad Rent.

Little else has given us as much satisfaction as getting rid of the sand and concrete... Except maybe this:
These are my sunflowers. They are literally tripled in size from this time yesterday. This is so exciting!

Urban Experiment: Raised Garden Edition

When we moved in to our house, there was a hot tub in the back yard. We kept it for about a year and then sold the stupid thing. What a pain in the rear. After that, though, we ended up with an empty cement slab threatening the safety of our family and friends. Richard and I have been talking about what to do with it for a long time, and this spring we finally decided to tear it out and build a vegetable garden.
Here is a photo journal of each step of the back-breaking project. I don't really feel like they convey the amount of work that went into each step, but aside from being able to make YOU lift a shovel, I guess I won't be satisfied that you truly understand.
I only wish we had thought to take a picture of the slab in its original state, but I forgot until it was too late.

This is what was left underneath the slab off concrete.

Here is the pile of concrete...anybody need clean-ish fill?
Under the cement slab we found a startling amount of sand and rock. In order to reuse the landscaping rock we had to build a rock sifter and sift out the sand into the wheelbarow. The day pictured here was the day after it had rained, so every. single. shovelful was very heavy.
We tore out the wooden walkway leading to the gate. We will use the sifted rock to make a path to the gate with decorative pavers. More photos of that project to follow.
The neighbor graciously gave us left over black dirt from his order. It was so nice of him!
It saved us a lot of time and money. I paid him back with baked goods. Once we have produce, I will be sure to share with him!It was enough to fill our garden half way!
What a mess!

You can see the rock sifter leaning against the AC unit.

Garden Girl is sitting on the newest wall of the garden. She is an accomplished rock-picker.

DIRT! We were so relieved when this was in. What an accomplished feeling!Shirley and I planted three flats of marigolds to keep away the rabbits! I'm not working this hard to offer snacks to the neighborhood rodents.
Planting the marigolds was sweet and bitter because it brought back memories of my Gram. She always planted marigolds around her garden. I think she would be excited about our effort.
I have also been thinking a lot about my grandpa in Nebraska. His garden always had tomatoes and corn. I have wished several times that I could call him up and ask his advice. I never realized how much growing things would make me think about my loved ones. I can't help but feel like we are connected through the earth in this way. God loves me so much to bless me like this.
Finished marigolds. Green, yellow, red bell peppers and jalapenos.
In the top left corner, I planted carrot, parsnip and beet seeds. The towel is for my poor knees.
Along the top of the photo, to the right of the seeds are four rows of onions. In the top right corner of the garden are two watermelon plalnts. Below those are two cucumber plants. Gross. I'll be planning to give most of these away...unless maybe I decide to make pickles. Maybe I can wear rubber gloves so I don't smell like a cucumber all summer.
In the bottom of the photo here, you can see the beginnings of Tomato Alley. From left to right we have Heirlooms, Grapes, Romas, Early Girls and Better Boys.
Finished planting!
In the center of the garden you can see cilantro, rosemary, basil and Greek oregano. To the top-right of the oregano, marked by a rock are green beans.
Along the deck-edge of the garden, I planted sunflowers. I hope they will grow to be about four feet tall and make a natural barrier between the deck and the garden to keep the four-legged family members out. Caged and fenced.

I know it sounds silly, but I just can't believe food will come from this toil--especially the seeeds! We prayed over our garden that God would be honored in our hard work, and after the enormity of the project I honestly feel like we can take on any project!
We are planning to finally get rid of the sand and cement today or tomorrow, and then we can rake the landscaping rocks into place and have a nice walkway from the deck to the gate. I want to add a few more touches to the garden, and I will post pictures of our progress over the summer. We are all very excited about this change to our back yard.

Misshapen

I am finally able to write about this without crying, cussing or grimacing (mostly).
Four to six weeks ago, I went to get my eyebrows threaded (if you don't know what that means, google it).
Now, let me just say that getting my eyebrows done is a pretty frivolous expense for me since I really don't have a lot of eyebrows to work with. Essentially, my eyebrows are clear. BUT, I can't see to do my own very well (because I am 70 years old), so it's nice to put my face in the hands of a professional.
So...like I said, four to six weeks ago, I went to get my eyebrows threaded. We had walked around the mall with some friends and stopped for a treat at McDonald's (for Shirley: a strawberry milkshake and for me: an iced coffee) on our way to the eyebrow threading place.
Upon arriving, I told Shirley not to spill her ice cream and please be quiet, we'll be done in a minute, right before I spilled most of my enormous iced coffee all over the floor.
The threading lady said, "There is a SIGN! No food allowed!"
I said, "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"
She said, "There's a SIGN! You spilled your coffee on the floor!"
I said, "I'm so sorry!"
She said, "THERE'S A SIGN!"
I said, "I didn't see the sign! I'm so sorry!"
She said, "NO FOOD ALLOWED!"
I said, "Well, it's TOO LATE NOW! Do you want me to clean it up or WHAT?"
She then proceeded to hand me ONE paper towel.
From there, the details are hazy, but I distinctly remember her snatching the pink milkshake out of stunned Shirley's hand and setting it on a faraway counter.
And after that, I got in her chair and let her decimate my face.
I don't know why I did it, but I think I was just so embarrassed and startled that she would shriek at me the way she did that I just got in the chair to make it stop.
So for the last four to six weeks I have had to bear the shame of not seeing the NO FOOD ALLOWED sign and spilling my coffee on the floor ...in the middle of my face.

Happy Mother's Day!

Book Review

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
Synopsis: When her mother unexpectedly dies, sixteen year old Emily goes to live with her grandfather. Here's the thing, though: she didn't even know she had a grandfather, let alone an eight-foot grandfather living in the strangely magical town of Mullaby, North Carolina until she was orphaned. While there she makes a few special friends and begins to learn the secrets about the sleepy barbecue town and her mother's silent past.
Readability: Easy. Charming. I really like SAA's style. I reviewed her book, Garden Spells a few months ago. I love the way she weaves a little bit of magic into an every day kind of story.

Predictability: I didn't really know what was going to happen, but if forced to guess, I probably would have figured it out. I'm ok with that.
Couldn't Put it Down Factor: I had a hard time getting in to this one, but once I got going, I was hooked. Sometimes I think I lose something of the story when I devour it so fast. Alas, I may never know what it's like to savor a book. I don't have that kind of self control. It took me a week to read the first fifty pages and 36 hours to read the last 200.
Recommend it?: Yeah, though not as highly as Garden Spells. I felt, like with GS that the author only took it so far, when it really could have developed into a masterpiece. That being said, I highly enjoyed it. There is no violence or bad language, but there is one sexy scene--fair warning to my more tender-hearted readers. This wasn't the kind of book that I finished and said, "THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE THE WORLD!" But I did finish and say, "That was fun. Glad I picked this one up." It was sweet, satisfying, and perfect for a road trip over Easter weekend. So there.

Three out of five stars. Very well written, but again, I feel like she stops just short of really developing the story and characters. Some of you nerds out there will know what I mean when I compare her style to that of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He weaves magic into seemingly mundane stories, making them sparkle. SAA does that, but without the plot and character development that would take 200+ more pages, which, I'm not sure the average reader is looking for. Keep in mind, GGM is a difficult author, and I enjoy the light-hearted feel of SAA's novels. In many ways she is the best of both worlds. I just keep wishing for a little more.

OPEN! SESAME!

I had to take this picture in my kitchen because the one I tried to take in the car in the dark in the Wal-Mart parking lot didn't turn out very well. I can honestly say, I don't even really like chocolate, but the chocolate I DO like and crave...well...ain't nothin' gonna stand in my way.

Richard's Theory of Relativity

If every light socket in the house has a working lightbulb, (at least) one must burn out immediately.
There shall never be a time when all lightbulbs are completely functional.

Book Review

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Synopsis: In the summer of 1931, Jacob Jankowski runs away with the circus. That's all I'm giving you.
Readability: Not hard...as in challenging. There were a few scenes that were difficult to stomach. This one is pretty gritty, folks.
Predictability: I didn't know. I didn't know. I just didn't know what was around every corner. You know I love that. This subject was so unfamiliar to me that I honestly didn't know what was coming next. There were some major surprises for me in this story. That being said, the ending was FANTASTIC.
Couldn't Put it Down Factor: Bah. I have been angonizing over how to answer this question. Here's the thing: while I was reading, I was completely captivated and didn't want to stop reading. When I did stop reading and thought about the book, I thought, "This is so dumb! Why am I reading this?!" I struggled with this dilemma through 300 pages.
Recommend it?: Um. I honestly don't know whether or not to recommend this. It's a very satisfying and enthralling read, but it is awfully gritty. There is quite a bit of sexiness, animal stuff that's hard to read, and a fair amount of language. This may bother some of my more fair-hearted readers. That being said, I think I enjoyed this one. I'm pretty sure. I really, really liked the ending. The ending made made it all worth while. So...if you're reading it and you're thinking, "Why did I get into this? What was I thinking?" Just remember what I said: the ending makes it all worth while. Though I can't honestly say, "The ending makes you feel like everything is right with the world." I'm so conflicted. I will say, however, that sometimes there are books that I say, "Why did the author do this or that? I would have done it this or that way." I never once thought that while reading this novel.
Three out of five stars. Very well written, interesting, and a good ending. I'm so conflicted.

The Extrovert and the Rule-Follower

Today I babysat my goddaughter, Natalie, for most of the day. Her mother and I have been friends for over twenty years.
At nap time, I couldn't help but laugh when I reminded them that they needed to stop talking and go to sleep. All three of us knew that Shirley was the instigator and Natalie was way too polite to tell her to just shut up already.
It's all so bizarrely familiar.

Richard and the Purple Crayon

Resemble, much?