End of April Garden (& Other Stuff Too) Update

Greetings!

So, things in the garden seem to have gotten huge overnight. Check out our corns and potatoes!

And all of a sudden, the boxes are starting to look like real garden boxes, with plants that just might actually make food for us! These are the boxes with beets, onions, garlic, and carrots, with some Ranunculus and a cactus thrown in, because I said so.

Even the two big boxes are starting to fill in. About half of the tomatoes have blooms, and a few of the peppers do too.

We harvested one Sugar Snap Pea, and two strawberries. Man, were we full. At this rate, we'll be self-sustaining in no time!

The sunflowers finally outgrew me!

I can't believe how huge they are. Sparky is wearing the light jacket Aunt Debbie made him because Neil shaved him... then it got cold(ish) again the next week and the poor guy was chilly and naked.

Even the Nasturtiums are huge - they almost come up to my waist!

For the longest time after we planted stuff in the ground, it seemed like nothing was growing. Neil kept telling me not to worry... that one day it would seem like it all grew inches overnight. It certainly seems that way now :)

In other news, we went to visit with my parents in Huntington Beach. We rode bikes to have lunch at Fred's Mexican Cafe and enjoyed some beautiful beach weather. My dad gave Neil his drill press, and router (& table). We hope they know this just means more handmade Christmas gifts! Thank you!

Last weekend, we drove out to Hesperia with the trailer to pick up a couch and desk that my Uncle Dave gave me. They were my grandmas, and were the two important pieces of furniture that I was hoping to have as they always bring back good memories of her.

And on Easter Sunday, we grilled up a bunch of chiles, chicken and whole cloves of garlic, then put it all in the crock pot with tomatillos, onions and cumin and let it simmer all afternoon. We ate it with rice and a bit of sour cream that evening. It was awesome, and even better the next night as leftovers!

We hope you had a great Easter! (that's Neil's first Easter bunny - Carmen gave him to us!)

Just your average morning commute

Neil saw these guys on the freeway on his way to work this morning.

More lies!

I just can't be trusted. We have other TERRIBLY EXCITING NEWS that I was supposed to report! We have a PEA!

That is all.

Nothing much

I haven't posted in awhile because there hasn't been anything new or exciting to report, and there still isn't! Neil loves his new job and is a very happy boy, and I've been pretty busy with my work, and the garden has been doing its job without much help from us lately.

We went to Paul's birthday party last Sunday at Carmen's house, but I forgot to bring my camera.  We had fun playing group Pictionary, ate good food and saw friends we haven't seen in awhile. Gary, the man who married us, was there and we got to meet his wife and kids. We met Paul's family, and for most of the afternoon I sat next to my landlady, Beth, and we tried to stir up trouble :)

Here's a picture of Winchester with a piece of lunchmeat stuck to his back, after Neil tried to share with him. Those are Hamilton's feet up in the corner... he didn't want to be in the picture for obvious reasons.

It's been beautiful out, and consistently warm, and everything has been growing. Some of the corn plants are about a foot high now.

And other things are already blooming, which is nice, because I had forgotten what these bulbs were by the time they got planted!

Ok, I lied earlier when I said we had nothing exciting to report, because we do: THE BLACKBERRY IS ALIVE! And not just a stick! Well, the stick part is still just a stick, but about two inches away this whole other little plant came up. Nobody told us blackberries worked that way, and we've been watching the sticks very carefully for months now!

Still no sign of life on  or around the other stick, but don't worry, we're diligently keeping watch and we'll keep you posted.

The sunflowers are ridiculously huge... I love them! We planted four different kinds, way too close together, so we'll see what this looks like in a couple of months. The nasturtiums in between the two rows of sunflowers are holding their own for now, but I expect them to be dwarfed soon.

The Desert Bird of Paradise seeds I started for Aunt Debbie finally sprouted, and really took off in the warm weather. They'll be big enough to transplant soon, so I'll take them to Vegas with me next time I go so she can use them in her yard at her new house. They are my favorite desert flower!

And yeah, Chester still has meat on his back.

Three Years

Today marked the third anniversary of when Neil and I met, and we decided to spend the evening at home enjoying the glorious weather. We barbecued dinner, shared some wine, and talked all night long on the back patio. It was a beautiful night. This is the picture we took... Neil is shoving me toward the camera and pulling himself away in an attempt to even out the sizes of our heads. This is only one of many reasons that I love him :)