Veggie Tales

Sunday I planted veggies. Hubby and I are trying a new approach that I'm just a wee bit excited about. First, let me tell you the soil in our yard leaves a LOT to be desired. So, with this in mind we are trying out the "5-gallon bucket method". This method apparently has proven quite successful for many as I have found in my Internet research. Ideally, I would like a small garden with some of my favorite veggies (squash, cucumbers, okra, tomatoes, peppers...maybe even a few beans or peas) but given our limited amount of space and the crummy dirt, I have decided to go with this new method. Well...new to me. We have 6 buckets that we are going to try. Saturday, we purchased 2 jalapenos, 2 Big Boy tomatoes, 1 Roma Tomato and 1 Cherry Tomato plants. Brian drilled holes in the bottom of the bucket for drainage. In addition we placed 2 or 3 inches of washed river rock in the bottom for better drainage. Then...the planting began. (insert dramatic music ha) I can't wait. I am planning on a bountiful harvest for which I have many ideas. The jalapenos I plan to smoke for chipotles. The tomatoes I will use for several things and hopefully there will be enough to make a salsa. I can use the jalapenos for that purpose also. After an extensive Internet research, I decided to plant both jalapenos in the same bucket. The 'experts' say that planting 2 to 3 plants together produces far better results. This decision also left a bucket open to use for pumpkin seeds I purchased for Zane to plant. He has visions of a successful roadside pumpkin stand because of the high yield....Go Zane :-) The final step was buying a utility cart to put the buckets on. This allows our plants to be mobile which is beneficial in a couple of different ways. One, we can control the amount of light the plants receive much better and secondly, we don't have to worry about the buckets killing the grass beneath them. Trust me, this is all trial and error, Anyway, if this works well this year, we may add more next Spring and possibly a raised bed type of garden. Regardless of the outcome, I truly love to dig and get my hands dirty. I'll keep everyone updated on the progress. Wish me luck......

xxoo

Lisa

Baby Steps

I am a Mom, a Sister, a Daughter, an Aunt, a Cousin and a Granddaughter. I have two children who challenge me almost daily. My daughter, Haley, is 18 and graduated from High School just last night. My eyes are still red and puffy to prove it. My son, Zane, is 11 and will begin middle school this next school year. Between the two of them, I am having one of those serious Mom moments...ok, let me be real....it's more than a moment. Everyone tells you how fast they grow up and you 'think' you have an idea; but, you have NO idea until you have experienced it. I am looking at these two and thinking, I should still be rocking them, chasing them and trying to survive smelly diapers, 2 a.m. feedings and those first steps being made. I thought those years were challenging because let's face it, small children in the house is like being on a suicide watch. Sit in any room of the house and look around at the endless possible ways your child can be hurt. :-) Those years have evolved into the "I know more than anyone, especially my parents" years. The only comfort is knowing that when they have a family of their own, they will once again realize Mom and Dad are pretty smart. Smelly diapers and 2 a.m. feedings have been traded in for Mom mending the scraped knee, soothing the broken heart after her 'first breakup', putting millions of miles on the van to get to dance, softball, football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, the skate shop, the skate park.....and plenty of other places. Questions like "Why does God put stars out only at night?" and "How are bulldozers made?" have turned into "Can I dye my hair?" and "When can I start driving?". Well, as you can tell I can go on for days, weeks and even months about what Motherhood has meant to me and how my life changed when these two crazy but loving kids came into my life. I'm sure I will elaborate more in future blogs but for now I will stop or else I will never stop the tears. lol One of my favorite aunts in the world (and I don't say that lightly) told me this morning that while she was looking at pictures that were made last night after graduation, she thought..."She did it. She got her raised. Even though it really never stops...she got her to this point of entering her adult life and she is raised. No matter what it took to provide for her and take care of her...she did it." I have had some proud moments in my life but I don't think I have ever felt the pride like I felt when she said this to me. Sometimes when life deals you a bad card and you feel just a little insignificant....Moms everywhere should rejoice when they look at their children. My kids are healthy, happy and loved. The rest is just details.
xxoo
Lisa