June Garden

The garden is basically ready for summer. All the painting is finished, almost everything is mulched, the spring veggies are done and have been pulled, and the summer fruits and veggies are taking off.

Looks like we'll have strawberries, raspberries, lingonberries, watermrlon, kiwis and grapes. The corn is looking awesome, and the beans and squash are thriving next to the corn. The tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are just starting to show flowers, and the fig tree might offer a couple of treats later in the summer. The potatoes and sweet potatoes, turnips, cabbage, and Brussels sprout are also thriving.

The side yard (not pictured) is working in its own crop of beans, with horseradish, tomatillos, salad mixes, and lavender. The herb bed is slowly recovering from a load of sour mulch, but we only lost two plants. By mid-summer, I think everything will be back on track.

Memorial Day

Today we're hanging out at the house, the first time in months that we haven't been running somewhere.

The boys are working in the garden, spreading mulch to help control the weeds. S was out there for awhile, insistent that her nightgown was a "work dress" and totally acceptable for digging in the mulch pile. Bill rolled with it, and she was gleeful.

I'm working on getting the house back in a state approaching tidy. Laundry, organizing the pantry, getting rid of an old ikea chair and footstool, free cycling the wine rack, making a grocery list, and feeding the hoards.

It's all very domestic. And it makes me very happy.

What's New

First of all, my kid can read. Like, *really* read. It boggles my mind that 12 months ago he was struggling to recognize a capital A. And tonight he read me a bedtime book with multisyllabic words with 90% accuracy. I think back to when he came to us, and our in-home resource worker (a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and child development expert) told us that he "absolutely, certainly had learning disabilities, and very likely a borderline IQ". My heart broke then, and now my mind is blown at how amazing and resilient this kid has turned out to be. TOP OF HIS CLASS, BITCHEZ!

Second, we finally bit the bullet and signed a contract to replace the windows in our house. All of them. With super-efficient, top-of-the-line windows that cost as much as a brand new car. Excuse me while I go cry in the corner at the thought of that bill.

Third, the budget isn't as bad as it seems, since tomorrow we will finalize our refinancing. I forgot what a huge pain in the ass it is to get a mortgage. So much paperwork! And because I work for myself, there is about six hundred times more scrutiny and double-checking as there would be for a "normal" job. Even though I've been doing it for eight years.

Fourth, I got my hair chopped off. It was getting CRAZY long and took almost 45 minutes to blow dry and that just wasn't going to work over the summer. So the stylist lopped off a full 12 inches and now I'm footloose and fancy-free. And also definitely sporting the "kindergarten mom" look down at the elementary school.

Fifth, my little one is exhibiting signs of being three. She suddenly doesn't want to eat any dinner. There is an argument every night about which utensil she wants to use to NOT eat her dinner. She automatically responds "no" to whatever is said. However, she's still pretty cute and manages to keep the actual tantrums to a bare minimum. Plus, I get to make her frilly dresses, and that makes me happy.

Sixth, the squirrels ate our peaches AGAIN and I am so mad I could spit. At the squirrels. And possibly also shoot them. The baby kiwis and figs are still there, but it's only a matter of time before we have a full-scale assault on our hands. Oh, and there is something munching on the leafy green tops of the sweet potatoes, cucumbers, and spinach. 

Seventh, there is no dessert tonight and that makes me sad. Bill tried to pawn off a "key lime cookie" that he bought at the store a couple of nights ago, but it was horrid and I gave up after two bites. Now I feel even MORE deserving of a good dessert to get that chemical taste out of my mouth.

Eighth, I am now 35 years old. In the prime of my life. I'm trying to figure out if facing the second half of my thirties means anything to me, or if I'm now finally in a place where the years flow into each other without major identity crises. Things to ponder...