it's working!!

Phew!!  Thank goodness for a little bit cooler temps.  The past couple of days have been incredibly humid - but then, this is Texas - what was I expecting?  Woke up this morning to a balmy 70 degrees with light cloud cover and soft breezes ... best get busy and finish my new walkway through the arbor.  I replanted the stones and tucked in bunches of creeping thyme.  Gives off a fresh scent when you walk under the arbor.  Plus the ceiling fans on the covered porch will keep that lovely aroma moving around the dining area :)

Pulled a few more weeds (trust me - there are MORE and MORE to be rid of), planted my new Mexican Mint Marigolds and trimmed a few dwindling rose hips.  Refilled the coffee cup and then Lucy and I took a stroll out to the vegetable garden.

Then what to my wondering eyes should appear .. tomatoes and cucumbers, peppers and onions!

The warmer weather and humidity really set everything into action!  Woah, this is really cool!  Just a few short months ago the "garden" was really just a fenced in area filled with weeds and scraps and remnants of what was once a lovely, flourishing garden.  I really had my doubts about whether we'd be able to bring back the beauty and bounty of the garden.  But, persistance and hard work do pay off!

(OK - so it was really more of my husband's hard work and my persistance :)

the first of the bell peppers :)  we planted the standard green (of course) as well as red and yellow!

the green peppers are really taking off.  the red and yellow have just started to flower, so will probably be another week or so before I have any "evidence" to share.

Cucumbers!!  YUM!

I have this vision that one of two things is going to happen ... either we'll only end up with 1 or 2 of each vegetable and four people will be fighting over who got the bigger piece ... the pleasure of enjoying the "fruits of our labor" will be over in a mere 5 mintues!

OR

we'll have a HUGE harvest (which is a great thing), but it'll ALL come at once - and because we're so "new" at this ... we'll bungle the whole thing and miss our opportunity at canning, storing and sharing good food!

We have tomatoes!  We have about 8 large plants now and lots of little green tomatoes - but, A-HA!!

I spy two red tomatoes!

(see comment above ... how do you divide 2 tiny tomatoes between four adults)

OK ... so these little guys are not the most attractive thing in the garden, but man-oh-man are they gonna be tasty!

You might not be familiar with Noonday Onions ...

think Vidalia from Georgia and Texas 1015 mixed together, in a smaller, more flavorfull package :)

Mmmm - mmmm - mmm.  And there's certainly
enough to go around!

...and there's the spinach, carrots, beans (climbing up the fence) and yellow squash and zuchini

working on making a grand appearance soon!

Whew ... this is a long post ... but I just have to add a couple more pics (sorry - everything came at once!) ...

My cannas are blooming!!

and Lucy just loves it here

mother's day in the garden...

I think we've all had a failed mother's day at some point in our lives.  Everyone had the best intentions, but somehow time got away from us and we forgot to call, we didn't get the card in the mail on time or we just totally spaced and missed it all together!

As a Mom, it hurts to be on the receiving (or non-receiving) end of that kind of day.  Although, as a Mom, I totally understand how it happens. I haven't always been the best at getting the card in the mail either.  But in the back of my mind, I always hope that my kids will be better at it than I am ... as in most things, we as mothers, always hope for our children to be better, stronger, smarter, etc. than we are.

Well, today was the Mother's Day we all hope for - and rarely get (likely because we dream of perfection in an imperfect world).

Oldest son (who lives out of town) actually got a card in the mail.  And since Mother's Day is on Sunday (no mail delivery) - he actually planned ahead and it arrived on Saturday :) YAY! It was the perfect HA-HA card and fit him to a T!

Middle son got up early (a very rare occurance) and made a lovely breakfast for me (and everyone else).  Set the table, warmed the syrup and even cleaned up the dishes afterwards!  Bonus - he also had a gift and a card for me!

Daughter dashed out the door right after breakfast (also amazing that she was up that early), shouted "I'll be back in a few" and took off down the driveway.  And in "just a few" she appeared with a big white box that contained the most beautiful lemon cake smothered in big fat strawberries and gorgeous pink roses!  The card attached said "You are the most beautiful and vibrant person I know".

After breakfast and gifts and hugs and kisses all around, it was time for a walk through the garden with my fresh cup o' coffee.

The day had already been so perfect, I was afraid to do anything that might "jinx" it for me!  My expectations were low, while my hope would be that I would find something new to enjoy. Another gift? In the garden? Would there be something to behold?

It didn't take long and I didn't have to go far.  There they were, right in front of me. Beautiful new blossoms that surely weren't there yesterday! Fresh and vibrant and full of new life!

So what did I learn today?

Oh, I can just barely bring myself to say this!

It's just almost painful!

I've said this to my children OVER and OVER again - why wasn't I listening when I said it?

"RELAX ... and expect it when you least expect it"

Happy Mother's Day!

ribbet ribbet

A great time last week - my oldest son was here visting from Denver!  We all miss him and languish in his visits - the conversation, the family time, the joy of having all your children together under one roof and sharing a good meal.

A couple of beautiful roast chickens on the grill, a lovely bottle of wine and a sunset to match no other ...

Then, low and behold, the guests arrived!  Uninvited - but appreciated none the less!

a wonderful discovery of some very small friends who decided to join us for the evening :)

when you live in the country, you just never know who is going to show up for dinner :)