Planting time


gardeningJoyce and Rebecca spent Saturday planting oregano and lavender in the garden.  Rebecca said Grandma was a lot of help.  Also, Rebecca played “hello Grampa” with me.  I think she said hello to me more than seven times through the day.  Meanwhile I worked on improving the bed at the end of the dry riverbed in our xeriscape.  Several of last year’s plantings survived the winter and are looking good, blooming even.  The grass had taken over between the plants, though, so I dug it out and replaced it with dirt from the patio excavation.  The wild kitties are so excited to have a new potty.

We’re watering pretty regularly now.  Friday I finished putting chicken fences around the fruit trees so we can keep them mulched.  Rain is in the forecast as I write this and I’m sure it will rain somewhere.  I’m less sure a good soaking rain will occur on SA.  If it does I’ll have to mow but that seems like a small price to pay.

When the Wylies were here Easter weekend Dave and I consumed the last of the beer Joyce and I made last year about this time so I got another kit and we’ll brew up another batch while it rains.  I was pleased with the result of last year’s brew which encourages me to whip up another batch.

Kari and Abigail turned the bed on the south side of 2005 underneath Rebecca’s bedroom window.  I pitched in with the spading because some of the bed was pretty hard and, well, you know, neither of them are big enough to turn heavy soil like that.  It didn’t take me long and then they came in and busted up the clods.  They planted oregano and lavender, oregano because the bees seem to like it and lavender because Joyce found a lot of it at Home Depot for two bucks a piece.  The lilies in the lily pond are pushing up pads and all three of the plantings in the little bed A&R and I did for Mother’s Day last year are putting forth.  Little by little we may be able to improve that area and make it look nice.  It could be something with a little time and effort, I think.

Chris has expanded his bee operation considerably.  I don’t know what all he has going on.  All I know is the enclosure is filling up with hives in various configurations.  Chris has fallen in with another bee keeper and the two of them seem hell-bent on large-scale bee keeping.  We’ll wait and see what happens.