Another goodbye

We are always saying goodbye.  This week it was to dear friends who lived across the street.  We hadn't known them very long, but it was one of those rare friendships that flourishes quickly.  Natasha burst into tears when we parted and refused to give goodbye hugs.  I guess she is starting to understand what "going to America and not coming back means."

As for me, the loss of a kindred mom friend is definitely a blow.  I try to focus on the positives - first, of course, the friend isn't really lost as we will stay in touch; second, we are so lucky are we to have had this friendship; and third, in this lifestyle the going is always accompanied by coming, and perhaps there are more fantastic friendships on the horizon.

See you somewhere around the world, guys!

Are you sick of the garden yet?

Tough cookies.  My sewing time has been drastically reduced, we're still figuring out our new routine so adventures are few, and my garden is my new fixation.  I try to grab some time here and there when the kids are napping to work in it.  This week we took another trip to a local nursery, and I came back with a trunk full of flowers.  On Thursday I dug some trenches for these climbing roses:

I think this climbing jasmine vine will end up in a pot that I purchased today at the grocery store, and probably live on the front porch:

Not sure where these berry bushes (raspberry and blackberry) will end up; but I think I want at least one more:

I also have some pretty roses in the front bed:

Today being Saturday, I had the luxury of another set of parenting hands to watch the kids, and I got to spend a couple hours weeding and mulching (with help, of course).

Jeremy and Natasha built a trellis for the peas, too:

I harvested enough lettuce, arugula and spinach for a nice sized salad:

And now our garden looks like this:

Hello there, cute Little Gem lettuces!

Hello, tasty red- and green leaf lettuce!

Nice to see you, pretty pretty snap pea vines!

And of course our spaghetti squash and arugula, going strong:

I can't believe it has taken me so long to get into vegetable gardening.  I LOVE it!

In the garden - 4 weeks on

We planted most of our crops (we have crops!) four weeks ago.  Everything is coming up, some more nicely than others, and while I can't imagine that we will actually have full-grown lettuces, peas and squash in the backyard, it is fun just watching the little seedlings grow.

As of this morning:

Broccoli, with spinach in the foreground.

Spaghetti squash!  So fun to watch it grow because the leaves are
expanding exponentially.

Lettuce.

Cute, cute sugar snap pea shoots.  Something has been chomping on
 some of them, though.

Really slow-growing arugula with more squash in the back.

That's it for the back.  In front I have planted some herbs in among the flowers. 

Cilantro.  The first true leaves have formed and they really taste like
cilantro!  Go figure!

Basil, which is doing really poorly.

In the brown planter, arugula seedlings bought from a neighbor.  In the
yellow, basil seedlings bought at a local nursery.  In the purple, mint
growing from seed. Except it doesn't look like mint to me.  We'll see what
comes out.

Also recently found in our garden:

This is a Levantine viper.  It was in my backyard last weekend.  Not this exact one.  I was too busy being paralyzed with fear to take a photo. My neighbor killed it with a shovel. Wikipedia has since informed me that it is an endangered species.  I should probably feel bad about that, but my kids play in the yard.  So I don't.

XB!

Eggs were dyed with yellow onion skins, collected since September and stored in the freezer.

The mantel was decorated.

Easter baskets were filled.

At midnight, bells were rung and candles were lit.

Baskets were discovered.

Pictures were taken.

Eggs were hunted.

The fast was broken.

  XPUCTOC BOCKPECE!

Garden update

You guys.  I checked the garden yesterday.

Stuff is growing.

Stuff that I planted.

Like sugar snap peas!

And spinach!

And broccoli on top of the spinach because I forgot that I had already put spinach there! And they will probably both die but I don't care because I'm justsofreakingexcited that something grew!