those Monday bits

Mark got Esme a huge shovel full of dirt with the tractor and they played King and Princess of the Hill on it.

 

 

Loula dog saying 'what happened?' after Esme pretended to fall off.

The garden on 4/22 - it has changed some and lots of things have been planted now.

 

Tomatoes in the background from our seedling trays inside. 

Esme and I had a lazy day about town - library, park, McDonalds and then the thrift store.  I let her stay over normal time at all of the places looking at what she wanted.. and I read a book on the e-reader.  Now that we are home I've put out a play bucket of water for her and some sand tools - and she is playing between that and the lavatory sink as she gets scared when she hears Mark run the tractor near the house .. smart.. but it makes for a lot of running and screaming.  Oh, the running and screaming at the playplace - she was with FIVE little boys who were all playing growl monsters... it was loud, and then abruptly they all left at once - which left her in a terrible mood.  So we went to look at 'not expensive' toys at the thrift store... and came away with a sifter, a net and a shovel.

I'm watering things in the garden with a bucket.  It is a strange habit of mine - but soothing, in its own way.  I like pouring the measured amount of water on the ground, watching it soak in, run down natural furrows in the earth, hearing it 'gurgle' through the cracks.. watching the small plants burst through the earth in places I have seeded and watered before.  Mark says I should use this hose thing they invented a good while back.. not return for bucket after bucket from the hydrant in an unending repetition of on, fill, off, pour, on....  It's my day off ;) and I have time to do so.

The cucumbers are germinating, as are the zinnias and scallop squash.  I've put more water on the corn and the lettuce, lima beans and radishes.  The cabbage does not look terrible off... it has changed color a bit with the acidity level of the soil.  The pea shoots are pushing for all they are worth - the pea seedlings I germinated inside are wrapping themselves around the fences and heading up.  The other plants from the co op are alive... all of them adjusting to our soil. I had put them in the ground at 50 degree temperatures the other day, but they do not seem worse for it.

I have tomorrow off, too .. we'll see what we get up to.  I have had Esme write on her writing tablet both days - she finds it very difficult, but at least is doing it without connect-the-dots on everything now.  She needs to get over the 'difficult hard frustration' stage limiting her and just try - and then feel the happy when it is good... if we can get there her school years will not be quite so hard on her/us/everyone in the world.  Ha.  I told Mark the other day it is going to be so hard to teach her with that stubbornness -- he said 'going to be?  IS!'

And the recipe for 'no more sleepy me' soup...
kale, washed and broken from the stems put in a pot and covered with water
olive oil and red wine vinegar
large can of black beans rinsed thoroughly
about a cup or two of lima or butterbeans, frozen
a can of diced rutabagas, drained
about a cup of cooked sausage
some frozen onion and red pepper
salt, pepper, onion powder, oregano, garlic
some dried green peas and red lentils - to make myself cook it a long time, or I would try to pull it early
a few frozen tater tots thrown in to add thickening starch to it

I cooked this for about four or five hours at night - put it up in quart jars in the refrigerator.  I've eaten it for three or four meals now.  One day earlier this week I was so tired I just wanted to fall on the floor as if by sheer will I was keeping from doing so... and that feeling was all day long and had grown over the course of the week.   I feel fairly good now, still a little tired - but I ran with Esme at the park, went through the slides, walked with her here and there and everywhere... and I do not feel like that day.  In fact, I think I'm about to go out and dig a hole for some zucchini seeds.