Summer Updates

Oh today is a beautiful day. My plan was to work today (Tuesdays are a regular day off for me) because I will be taking Friday off to go on a family camp. But then I thought of everything I need to do before this weekend, and decided to just take it off as usual. And I'm glad I did.

I'll be working in the garage, organizing and preparing all the camping gear, and getting things spiffied up somewhat for the new renters who will be coming July 1. I had a marvelous workout this morning with Kim - we did an hour of plyometrics. Good workout.

The weeds in my yard are growing really well! I've pulled close to two full size city garbage cans worth and there's more where that came from. But I've also done some work on the front flower garden. It's looking pretty nice. My garden is planted, with a few things starting to come in nicely; some things not coming in at all.

My compost pile got soaking wet a few weeks ago because I left the lid off and we had a wonderful rain storm. Now what was proving to be a rich dirt producing pile, turned into a disgusting sludge bin of incredibly foul smelling goop. I emptied it into a corner of the yard and mixed it into the soil. I hope it eventually dries out and stops smelling like rotting manure.

I'll start over with that once I clean out the bin.

Fitness and Compost

Yes. They do go hand in hand.

My household has begun a new fitness program. Along with exercise, sore muscles and lots of sweat, this program also generates a lot of food scraps. Almost all of which...well, actually, so far there's no "almost" about it - all of which is compostable.

Yay for a compost bin! Look at all those healthy food scraps ready to break down and become my garden's next awesome growing material. Anyone brave enough to try and identify what we've been eating lately?

On another note - it's still raining. And while that's great for growing gardens and lawns, sunshine is too. Could use a little more of that.

Soggy Garden

I am anxious so I am putting off the garden no longer. It's raining today. It rained yesterday. It's going to continue to rain for most of the next several days. I've been waiting for a nice, sunny day to put my garden in, but I'm now done waiting.

Tomatoes are already out there. Along with chives, parsley and peas. Oh, and of course the rhubarb I put in last year is doing really well. Now for the rest of the seeds. Yes, all I have are seeds now - no starts. But it's better than nothing.

Cucumbers, onions, carrots, zucchini, beets, maybe some spinach - and I need to go and get me some broccoli.  And straight neck yellow zucchini (squash). We tried some of our neighbors last year and loved it.

So off I go to get bundled up and play in the mud.

Just Musing

I don't have any pictures or fun stuff like that to post today. I'm just here on my couch, listening to the birds outside, watching the rain fall, grateful that it's watering my lawn for me.

We have a covey of quail in my neighborhood, and they are slowing making their way to my street. I love to hear them calling out "Chi-ca-go, chi-ca-go". Kim thinks I'm nuts. But I also hear the Robins saying, "Cheerily cheer-up cheerio" and the chickadees saying, "Hi sweetie".

I haven't planted my garden yet. I was going to wait until after Mother's Day - now I need to wait until it stops raining and the ground isn't a big mud field. But I look forward to it. I've expanded my garden plot from last year. Now the question is what so I plant that will be enjoyed and consumed by my family? They aren't big veggie eaters. 

My job has changed locations. My position is being transferred to Antelope Island as of July 1. There is a park house out on the Island I will be moving into in order to reduce my commute and save hundreds of dollars on gas. Out there my neighbors will consist of bison, antelope, coyotes, hundreds of birds and lots of other wildlife. I'll see what I can do about introducing you all to them.