Progress, worms, and happy chickens

Earlier this week, I spent three days hoeing, sifting through, pulling out weeds, and planting one row. Now it was only 45 minutes here, and hour there, so it wasn't a marathon gardening session for three days in a row. It was stolen moments for three days in a row. But the point is, it took me THREE days to plant one stinking row. It was discouraging. I was dreaming about the garden. I do that a lot. Especially when it feels like it is getting the better of me. Yesterday, Judith and Alistar came over with their tiller. I don't even know how many rows we got done. It was all a tilling, raking, planting frenzy. I plan to go out today and take stock. But I love machines. I love my friends.

In addition to all the tilling and raking and planting, Eli and I moved the compost and I harvested a bunch to top dress some plants. (Yes, I panicked about the May 1st start date and bought some plants. I do this every year. But we had a late start with planting this year due to the excessively long, wet winter.) Anyway, back to the compost. As I was top dressing the plants, Flora came over to hang out and re-home the worms I was unearthing. Flora, in all her wonderful five-year-oldness, drives me out of my mind a great deal of the time. I worry about how crazy she makes me. So it was good, no, great, to hear her commentary on the worms yesterday. As she'd pull out a particularly long one she'd shout "Wow, look at this beaut!" It made me feel like we are doing something right. I've included a photo of some of the worms ... one of the kids took it and it's a little fuzzy, but they are such lovely worms they have to have some representation.

Our chickens are also enjoying spring. I think they've heard the word "cull" come out of our mouths right here lately...we've had a big upswing in production and actually had a five egg day one day last week. Once we get our deer fence up, I plan to let the girls hang out with me in the garden. Get some work out of them in addition to the eggs.

This week also included a trek out to Hurdle Mills. The Wards have been busy people and their new homestead is taking shape. Evelyn and I spent the morning potting up seed trays and filling their greenhouse with trays for the summer.

I've said this at least once a day "Yay spring!"

Gratitude

That's the overwhelming feeling I have lately. I'm so grateful to have this life. After dinner last night, Eli was putting the girls to bed and I was outside watering the seedlings (our well house is broken again....that means hand watering about which I could complain, but last night was nice). As I was walking back and forth between the rain barrel and the garden, I had a chance to really *BE* in a way I don't usually get to be (the mind can work when it isn't surrounded with the noise of kids). The sky was getting dark, the moon was out, as the wind blew the clouds around the crescent shape would get slightly larger, then slightly smaller. It was down right cold but not unpleasantly so. The day's traffic had slowed and all was just right.

I happened to look over at the neighbor's house...the ones right across the road with two kids under 12...and they weren't home. Eight-ish at night and their house was dark. And this is typical. It's a dual-income family and they don't get home till after dark. I am so incredibly grateful that my life isn't like that. I know some people choose it and love it and some people have no choice but to live it. However, for me, my heart just broke thinking of what that would be like. So I finished my watering last night with a full and totally present heart. Grow little seeds, feel my love.

Since I last posted, I've added a row of bok choy and another row of sugar snaps. It's a slow process without a tiller. I've also gotten quite sidetracked with my flower beds. I'm adding some photos of the plants that have popped up thus far. We've also been living up to the name "mamasprings". The kids aren't quite done with their winter activities and the spring ones have already started so we are busy, busy shuffling the girls to and from soccer, art, drama, school. I am trying to be happy with my stolen moments outside though I think the gardener always feels behind this time of year.

finally, spring

Oh, how great it is to finally shed some layers and get out of doors! I spent my day today working in the garden. I'm dirty and tired but happy.

Today isn't actually the first day I've been out. I started tenatively, weeding, digging, and mulching part of the flower beds, sneaking 20 minutes here and there for the past few weeks. As the days got a little warmer, I'd take Ward out with me and he'd happily sit in his bumbo seat soaking it all in.

The garden though...aiyaya. It felt so overwhelming, all the work left undone from the fall daunting... and in addition, 5 months of inactivity following Ward's birth weighs on me (literally and figuratively). But Saturday, I decided that I had no choice. It was time. So I spent an hour and hoed an entire row. One down, 39 more to go. Judith has come over twice and spent a couple of hours helping and today David came over and stayed the majority of the day. He brought his little tiller too (yay!). I now have 5 rows prepped and seeded and two raised beds turned and tilled, ready for larger plants come mid-April. So far, we've planted beets, lettuces, sugar snap peas, arugula, carrots, kale, and turnips. I still want to get out some more peas, beets, and chard. Lots and lots of chard.

We have several new folks interested in buying shares...and as a result, I'm feeling confidant about our decision to break bad and buy a monster tiller. We found out this week that our old tiller is definitely dead.

Rain in expected all day tomorrow...we'll all take a break and tend to the chaos that happened indoors while our attention was focused outside. Ah, how I love spring. It is the best of all seasons.