Monday Morsels (on Tuesday)

After six straight days of rain last week the sun finally came out and we've been making the most of it.  It seems like we had a very long, late winter, that suddenly turned into summer, never mind with spring.  We're rolling with it.  We had a sunny, hot Memorial Day weekend, including our first swim of the season (4 out of 5 of us) at a friends' pool.  Hoping to dip into the lake soon.  

Morsels:  

Kale and Juniper got good and muddy when the sun first came out last week, then all the kids had a great time getting clean afterwards.  We filled the tub on the deck--and since we have only one stopper (shared between the inside tub and out) the kids have declared all tubbies will happen outside until fall.  Showers too.  

       

We broke the outside only rule for Kale in a desperate attempt to rescue him from the black flies.  Poor baby.  If anyone knows of a natural bug spray that works please let me know.  

      

Rob and the kids headed to the parade while I stayed home to work in the garden.  

Last year we* cleared an area for a garden and actually had an excavator come and take care of the stumps and roots--so we're putting in a big garden and growing a lot of things we've never tried before.  I may have gotten a little over ambitions but I'm hoping to have this garden pay for itself in a few years--and feed us all summer and have a lot to put up as well.  

*(Rob did the chainsaw work while I directed and kept the kids away from falling trees.)  

Some of the first time crops this year are potatoes (below), asparagus, brussels sprouts, onions, cabbage, broccoli (I've tried this before but have never been successful), peppers, and watermelon.  We're also growing peas, carrots, tomatoes, beets, kale, chard, lettuce, spinach, basil, cilantro, squash, winter squash, garlic, pumpkins and beans.    

I'm psyched right now that everything is finally growing and most of it is in the ground, but I have a feeling I may be kicking myself come harvest time.  

*  We got to visit some friend's goats the other day--they have two new babies.  I think I may like to have milk goats sometime when my kids are older.

*  My sister got two piglets, for meat, Hansel is the pink one, the brown one is his sister Gretel.

*  Chicken Killer:  Guilty as charged.

Marley got one of our chicks on Friday.  It was fairly gruesome and pretty sad for the kids.  As sad as it was it was nice to see the way Wylie and Juniper rallied together afterward, making a card for the chick and a gravestone, and sharing secrets the rest of the evening.

*  We've been swinging up a storm here.  Some of the favorite pushes are twisted sister, shoulder holder over the boulder, the wonder under, and the goody footie.  Its funny, before I had kids I hated pushing kids on the swing.  Even when Wylie was a baby and it was just him, pushing a swing was akin to slow torture.  Now, I kinda get into the sport of it (inventing favorite, daring pushes) and also revel in the ease of just pushing, while everyone sits happily, contained for a few moments.

*  Look Ma, No teeth!

* Kale never misses a chance to "drive" a tractor.  

Have a great week.