Garden Anyone?

Well, here I am again after a short absence. Where does the time go?? I used to think that was such a stupid question when I was growing up because time goes to history, but the older I get, the more I ask it! HAHA

Well, we have finally finished the first garden bed!!! Can we all say YEE HAA??? If I wasn't so tired, I would do the Happy Dance. As of 8:44 PM today, the potatoes and beets have been planted. Of course, they are planted 5-6 weeks later than they should have been planted. But who's concerned over the timing of the annual garden planting? Certainly not I! ;-) Dad was using a Bobcat to fill the beds. It was very different from the one he used to use on the farm. He had a little trouble with the first few buckets and managed to slightly mangle one corner of the new bed while dumping the first load of dirt. There was only one rebar in that section and I think he bent it slightly. I hope we will be able to make it look straighter! After that, he got the hang of the machine and sailed through the rest of the dumping. If that had been me, we would have ended up with firewood for Steve's and Kellie's wood stove. I'm not good with machinery.

The seed potatoes were already sprouting and a little emaciated, but we threw them in the dirt anyway. The beet seeds were numerous, but we have had them for several years now so we sowed them all and are hoping for a decent sprouting. Now we have to clear away the rest of the old dirt, construct the remaining two beds, fill them with dirt and composted sawdust, prepare the Earth Boxes, plant the tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, okra, and eggplant, and fill the paths with large gravel. Will we get it completed before June? Stay tuned to this continuing backyard drama to find out.

The twins are spending the night here tonight. Of course, they were all up in the middle of everything. Wesley helped with the gardening by removing the rotten lumber and helping spread the dirt as "Poppy" dumped it in the new bed. I asked him if the shirt he was wearing was old, and his reply was something along the lines of "I think so" (my paraphrase). He wasn't at all concerned over the ground-in dirt or mud-filled tennis shoes. He is so NOT like I was at his age! (My dad called me "Mr. Nasty Nice" because I didn't like to get dirty. Did that bother me? Not in the least! Who wants to walk around looking like a clod of dirt??? I really never grew out of that state of mind!) When he wasn't helping move dirt, he was trying to impress Felipe with his knowledge of Spanish. Let's just say he as a long way to go! HAHA Mikayla wanted to help, but she was too flighty to be much good. Dad and Mom were more worried about her getting in the way of the Bobcat.

Tomorrow will be bake day. I am making a Almond Joy Cheesecake, Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake, and a Carrot Cake for Sunday's Homecoming at church. I haven't tried these cheesecake recipes yet. I hope they turn out well. I will let all you devoted fans know after the final results are in. I am a little nervous about making the Carrot Cake. It's one of my favorite cakes, but only if it's make like Mom's. No one else has even come close. I will use Mom's secret weapon to fight the tendency towards dryness. And, no, I will not give the secret away. I will also help Mom with her dishes which hasn't fully been finalized yet.

That's all for now, folks. I hope everyone has a blessed day and will take some time to roll in the dirt!