For a long time I've been working exclusively morning shifts at work, which I didn't mind; I'm definitely a morning person. The only bummer about those shifts was that I started work at the perfect time to ensure my morning commute would almost always be wretched. I live only a few miles from my old branch, but often the drive would take me a good 40 minutes. Booooo! So it's kind of a nice change that at my new branch, I'm working closing shifts about half the time. Today I had the whole morning to relax with Monkey before work.
He slept like a little log last night, woke up in his typical good mood, and had tons of energy to play in the backyard, which has enough fun stuff to keep him busy for hours (not fun by my standards...it's pretty much the garden hose, the nozzle for the garden hose, two watering buckets and a tricycle...but those 5 things have entertained him longer than the whole of the toys he's seen come and go in his young life).
I decided we'd take a drive to the neighborhood ACE Hardware to buy potting soil and have a morning in the garden (which in itself was a new activity...I've never been out and about in the downtown area of my city in the morning...it was like a whole new place, all fresh and happy and abuzz with morning). I hadn't yet planted the little buds I'd brought back from the Gardener's Market Sunday, and there were some pots in back just itching for new life.
First we had to find new homes for the snails that were already hanging out in there, under the potted plants that were resting inside these pots (the earthworms I decided to let fend for themselves)
I decided we'd take a drive to the neighborhood ACE Hardware to buy potting soil and have a morning in the garden (which in itself was a new activity...I've never been out and about in the downtown area of my city in the morning...it was like a whole new place, all fresh and happy and abuzz with morning). I hadn't yet planted the little buds I'd brought back from the Gardener's Market Sunday, and there were some pots in back just itching for new life.
First we had to find new homes for the snails that were already hanging out in there, under the potted plants that were resting inside these pots (the earthworms I decided to let fend for themselves)
The next step was simple enough, just filling the pots with soil and adding the little plant babies. I put the lavender together with the firework flower (cuz I thought they would look pretty together once grown).
Next step was watering
Whoah! Slow down there, buddy!
I had the ornamental pumpkin sprout in a pot all to itself. I have to see if this little guy survives Monkey's grabbing impulses, especially since he'll almost surely be the one watering it every day...we already had a few close calls. I can't imagine how much more tempting it'll be when the little baby pumpkins start sprouting!
The peppers are still waiting until May to get planted since I read they do better once temperatures are at least 50 degrees overnight. If any of these three seedlings are still around by then I'll be beyond happy.
It comes as a surprise even to me that I've never gardened, especially given my former hippie life. And it's not that I didn't want to grow things...it's just that I didn't know anything about how to begin. I guess I still really don't, but I've just decided to take a little baby step and learn as I go. There are plenty of green thumbs in my life I can go to for help (well, 3 anyway), so that's reassuring. I just love the idea of giving the baby the experience of growing things and watching as the seedlings he's helped care for became actual food we can eat (well, maybe not so much the peppers for him, these days....we'll have to get to that market earlier next year and get in on the tomatoes!), so it's good to get our first crack at that.
Next step: chickens we can raise for their eggs :P
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