bits of the garden and the weekend

Sometime after this weekend my vacation begins... we'll see when. My nephew called and asked if I would visit them in Minnesota when we could afford it... I told him that really was very hard for us not only because of the cost but because of how long it takes to get there and back, and how young Esme is still to sit still that long etc... His little sister is nearly the same age, so he kind of understood that last part.

I have gotten very little sewing done as Esme has been wanting to play outside and that has led me to the garden and other tasks out there during these past few days. I've actually read two books this week which is something I have not done in a long time. We've been spending a lot of time in our garden, and Esme has had a few playdates. We went swimming in the lake yesterday and it was MUCH too cold for that. Esme said 'I'm a fishie' and relearned how to swim with her lifejacket on - but I'm hoping she doesn't catch a cold from it. At one point she was laughing so hard at Daddy's shriek of 'COLD WATER' that she swallowed some lake water and returned some strawberry shake she had earlier back into the lake with the water.... *yuck*.. and then she wanted to swim to the other end of the lake and not get out! We did convince her we would come back sometime when it was not quite so cold...

Some days this weekend her mood was very good and at some times during today it was quite awful indeed, mostly because of the heat and Mama and Grandma both not wanting to be out in it while Esme was 'hot' on the idea to the point of tears. She is also not happy with Mama in general that I am asking so much of her with the PT. She HAS had some progress and is telling us when she needs to pee much more often. It's a start. I'm going to enforce it harder on my vacation again... but we're getting there slowly. She was throwing a doozy of a fit when we returned from Grandma's today so I convinced her into a bathtub full of warm water and eucalyptus soap and she felt much better after a bit. Then she got to play outside again while I was weeding the garden, which made her feel even better, until we came back in of course!

Daddy walked down to the lake with us and collected shasta daisy seeds. We've gotten a nice crop down there over the past few years, and have enjoyed them immensely. Esme loves to pick three at a time - one for her, one for Mama and one for Daddy. I've set them to dry in the garage and will try to resow them in other places out in the property. I've bought several other varieties of perennial daisy like seeds to see if they will flourish and bring some long-lasting effects. We also have marigolds, a geranium and some zinnias planted in the garden (all annuals) and I'll be trying to save the marigold seed to see how it will do in another round.

Our corn is getting very tall, the pumpkins and squash plants are HUGE, and the beans are starting to flower. We have flowers on the tomatoes and peppers, and a handful of radishes every few days. I keep planting more ;) Our cucumbers are not doing very well... they are very small while the squash planted at the same time is getting ready to flower. I've put a few small rows of different sunflowers and indian corn just to have some pretty things on the edges. It is so much that Mark says we have no more room for anything in there ;) And I still wanted to ask him to plant the potatoes that are in the kitchen sprouting on the bottom rack!

heard Esme say words like 'clover', and 'healthy' today. She also told me 'maybe' this morning when I asked her if she would try to put her hat on after we cleaned up a dirty spot she saw... obsessive little thing when she sees something she thinks needs cleaning! She will fret about it until it is made right. And she keeps telling me the road is 'danger' and that I have to stay off of it entirely WITH her and not cross it at all because we will get run over. This is difficult when we have to cross the road at the point to go to the garage... and I basically have to pick her up and CARRY her across the road while she has her freakout about getting run over and then when we are on the other side she calms down. But man... what a reaction. Daddy did a good job enforcing that idea on her when the loggers were out here with their big machinery. They're mostly gone now, but may come back for a bit to help with Grandpa's clearing from our road. I'm glad she understands there is potential danger (we are very very rural and it is OUR driveway, not the main highway) but she still has to learn that really she needs to look OUT for danger, and if there is none, she can cross that road and get to the other side.