Garden o' Weedin'

Like most of you, I get up at five thirty and make the coffee first thing. You might be saying to yourself, "Now, there's a woman with her priorities straight!" Maybe you're not saying that. It's probably just one of the many voices in my own head. Then I feed and water the baby chicks and turkeys brooding in the garage, unload the dishwasher, maybe start some laundry, check in my work e-mail and then heat up bottles of milk for the 7am feeding of the lambs. By 7:30am I am on my school bus route and possibly going to the grocery store or Zumba class (depending on the day of the week).

When I come home, I check work mail again. Sometimes I'm trapped there for hours and I grab a shower just before I have to go out and play school bus again on the afternoon route. This week work gave me enough of a break that I could turn my attention to our garden of neglect instead of the phone and computer for a change.

While Michael has been slaving away in New York to support our hobbies and pay the mortgage, I decided it was time to reclaim the garden that had been overtaken, primarily by the ever present and invasive Bermuda grass. I pick axed my way through a number of what used to be rows. I then finally planted my Yukon gold spuds, sweet potatoes an anemic looking tomatoes and peppers that survived my attempt at growing from seed. Yay!! Survivors!!! Truly Darwinian gardening.

Here you see the line of defense with Bermuda grass in the foreground. In the back you can see my garlic, onions & shallots. I later had to delve deeper into the triple threat of Bermuda, bind weed and red ants. I did you a favor by not including a photo of my ankles after the ant attack. I have some skin left ... Not much.






I cheated and put some carrot starts from the nursery in the potato row so that people wouldn't assume it was unplanted and ripe for trampling.





Here are the alliums before the massive three day cultivation. I found volunteer carrots, marigolds and tomatoes amongst the nasties. I'm amazed at the little treasures that revealed themselves to me. Yay! We eat food from the yard in spite of my best efforts to kill the plants. I really can't take much credit.








Valerie & Amira have had their spring break this week while Rex has had to go to school. (He had his break last month ... We are doomed to be on conflicting vacation with every kid in Chico as long as I have the girls at Blue Oak). Valerie spent a couple of days with her friend Ruth (who also had the week off). Ruth graciously helped Valerie with the chores (taking the poultry babies out to the tractor, putting them back in the brooder, bottle feeding the lambs and walking them on leash ... Not to mention dishes and general clean up as well as egg collecting).

Here they are in front of my poppy hedge. Ruth has Bambi and Valerie has Forbes. Heel, Forbes! Heel, I say!










When the girls had enough forced labor, I mean, "holiday farm camp" they called Neni & John to rescue them. Those Bollingers provide a full service operation. Neni drove over to pick up three girls who promptly popped out in their swim gear. I continued pick axing weeds. I like to keep my chiropractor in business.

When I was tired of cranking about the Bermuda in the back, I turned my attention to the front. I need to weed, re-mulch and set up watering. In fact, I took time out at the end of the day to hand water each plant (and there are loads!!) Of course, at the end of the day we got a surprise thunder storm. My plants will be so grateful. Actually, I can hear the Bermuda snaking its tendrils back through the garden. Doh!

Here's looking out our living room window to the north toward the new sheep shack Michael is building. Little water droplets stick to the window before sliding down to quench my camellias and gardenias.