At long last, Ed bought himself something that will help him in the yard: a dump cart that he can attach to the old lawn mower (it's a riding mower, so you can use it as you would a tractor). This $129 acquisition took days and days of comparative research (this one has no ball bearings... this one will allow me to build up the sides with wooden boards... this one is made of sturdy plastic... this one has sides that drop down -- I have been listening to the virtues of one cart over the next for so long now, that I feel I know all there is to know about this two wheeled garden wonder).
Today he assembled the cart and so for the better part of the morning, instead of hiding from me lest I ask for his help in the garden, he follows me everywhere, asking repeatedly -- you sure you don't need more chips? Because I can haul them anywhere you want!
This is the theme of the day.
It tells you a lot about our lives right now: we are focused on the outdoors and we will remain focused on the outdoors for a solid month. We have lots to do!
But first, breakfast. In the sun room, because once again, we're eating early and it's still nippy outside.
But it promises to be a fine April day! A light sweater will suffice and when you work hard, even that seems superfluous.
It is still the season of daffodils. Today, the more exotic varieties (always last to bloom) are showing their pretty faces...
I love the doubles and I'm in awe of the triple-headed dancing girls...
Yet daffodils, for all their individual beauty are, to me, at their most sublime when viewed en masse. Like this...
Or this...
Their season is actually quite short (and shorter still when you have cheepers trampling and scratching the flower beds), but because they are the first, I am enchanted. Totally, completely enchanted.
I have a lot of planting to do in the next several weeks, but I am determined to finish the strawberry patch weeding first. And I've come across a headache of sorts: a huge clump of irises, right in the middle of the patch, that are overgrown with quack grass. Yesterday, while Snowdrop napped, I tried digging around the irises to stem the grass roots from spreading, but this morning, I gave up on this half-assed measure in favor of digging up the whole lot of them and disentangling several dozen tubular root systems from the noxious grass. I am grateful for my hovering buddy (Can I help? Will you need some wood chips after? Yes, Ed. Thank you, Ed.)
And this is how the clock tick tocks its way to noon. Snowdrop pick up time!
(She looks like a businesswoman, leaving her office, briefcase in hand!)
Snowdrop and I stroll over to the distant coffee shop -- all for the promise of a cookie bite.
She is so determined to be a big girl, that she now prefers the regular chairs over the kid high chair. It's funny to see her so low, but honestly, she seems quite happy there.
At the farmette, she considers her options. A few minutes outside!
A look at the flowers (Scotch wants to know: is there something in it for me?))...
A snack with the cheepers...
And inside the farmhouse we go. Ed's on the couch munching peanuts. She joins him, begging for a few. (My very observant granddaughter looks closely at him and asks: ahah, did you get a haircut? Indeed! I finally cornered him this morning, razor and scissors in hand!)
He never says no to her.
Evening. Ed is back to riding his bike again. Snowdrop watches him get ready. You can almost see the wheels spinning: soon I'll be doing Wednesday night bike rides too. I don't doubt it, Snowdrop. I don't doubt it.
Today he assembled the cart and so for the better part of the morning, instead of hiding from me lest I ask for his help in the garden, he follows me everywhere, asking repeatedly -- you sure you don't need more chips? Because I can haul them anywhere you want!
This is the theme of the day.
It tells you a lot about our lives right now: we are focused on the outdoors and we will remain focused on the outdoors for a solid month. We have lots to do!
But first, breakfast. In the sun room, because once again, we're eating early and it's still nippy outside.
But it promises to be a fine April day! A light sweater will suffice and when you work hard, even that seems superfluous.
It is still the season of daffodils. Today, the more exotic varieties (always last to bloom) are showing their pretty faces...
I love the doubles and I'm in awe of the triple-headed dancing girls...
Yet daffodils, for all their individual beauty are, to me, at their most sublime when viewed en masse. Like this...
Or this...
Their season is actually quite short (and shorter still when you have cheepers trampling and scratching the flower beds), but because they are the first, I am enchanted. Totally, completely enchanted.
I have a lot of planting to do in the next several weeks, but I am determined to finish the strawberry patch weeding first. And I've come across a headache of sorts: a huge clump of irises, right in the middle of the patch, that are overgrown with quack grass. Yesterday, while Snowdrop napped, I tried digging around the irises to stem the grass roots from spreading, but this morning, I gave up on this half-assed measure in favor of digging up the whole lot of them and disentangling several dozen tubular root systems from the noxious grass. I am grateful for my hovering buddy (Can I help? Will you need some wood chips after? Yes, Ed. Thank you, Ed.)
And this is how the clock tick tocks its way to noon. Snowdrop pick up time!
(She looks like a businesswoman, leaving her office, briefcase in hand!)
Snowdrop and I stroll over to the distant coffee shop -- all for the promise of a cookie bite.
She is so determined to be a big girl, that she now prefers the regular chairs over the kid high chair. It's funny to see her so low, but honestly, she seems quite happy there.
At the farmette, she considers her options. A few minutes outside!
A look at the flowers (Scotch wants to know: is there something in it for me?))...
A snack with the cheepers...
And inside the farmhouse we go. Ed's on the couch munching peanuts. She joins him, begging for a few. (My very observant granddaughter looks closely at him and asks: ahah, did you get a haircut? Indeed! I finally cornered him this morning, razor and scissors in hand!)
He never says no to her.
Evening. Ed is back to riding his bike again. Snowdrop watches him get ready. You can almost see the wheels spinning: soon I'll be doing Wednesday night bike rides too. I don't doubt it, Snowdrop. I don't doubt it.
