~From the Youngest~

Hi there- 

I have a little guest post for you. I threw my back out and can only be at my computer for about five minutes until the pain is more than I can stand, but my Youngest had to write a descriptive essay for home school and he has decided to share it with you. It's about where he lives so I've posted a picture of our home from last fall. Hope you enjoy it! *Please note the typing, spelling- it's all his. :)

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My name is Asher and I'm going to tell you where I live, and what it looks like, feels like, and smells like. My street is "F" st., and my house number is 2000. It's a big house, and it's as yellow as the sun. My family thinks it's very ugly, and we want to make it green. Our house has a garage that's also very yellow, but it's okay. It's not nearly as big as the house, but has the same shape. Our house has a slanted roof, and a bunch of mini-roofs jutting out certain windows.
Now, our yard is a pretty big yard, about 3/4 anchor or so, which is very big for Vancouver! It's a garden, so we can't just randomly go crazy. It's lush green, with dazzling plants like weeds. And that's just one of the wonderful plants we have. We have a compost and garden box, one where all our eggshells and things like that go to help make fertile soil. (My brother Jonas takes care of the compost). I, on the other hand, take care of the garden box. I hoe and plant veggies and things like that. It can be a pain, but it's worth it. The garden smells like air, unless you smell one of the plants.
We live near the street, and cars seem to sometimes go past it. I live in the Arnada neiborhood. we live right across the street from our friend Diane's house. Her house is small and blue, with leaves ever so falling on it. Her yard is small and well-cared for, with lots of plants, few weeds, and a shed at one corner. So that's where I live, what it looks like, smells like, and things like that.    

~Back in the Garden Again~

It's mid-March and Spring has sprung.

I'm out in the garden whenever I can be. 

Easter is quickly approaching and I'm dreaming of a cleaned-up garden for an egg hunt. I'm not sure which is least likely: the garden at any point reaching my standard of 'tidy' or having a March Easter that isn't cold and wet so we actually can have an egg hunt. 

Like I said, I'm dreaming.

But I don't have to dream of daffodils because they are now out for show.

As is the dwarf forsythia  And as I do every Spring, I wish wish wish it wasn't so small. But it is- hence the 'dwarf' before it's name.

This is a plant I obviously did not choose myself . . . it came with the property and I admit I look with constant jealousy at my neighbor's HUGE, gorgeous, PINK forsythia that stand a good seven feet tall and overflows with blossom. Perfect for cutting and forcing indoors. Perfect for filling the house with the subtle fragrance of Spring. Perfect for making a stunning arrangement in front of the fireplace. Perfect . . .

Ah, but in my envy I digress.

Back to my own garden. And one thing I do have and adore are my daffodils. This is just one clump of many around the garden. These always bloom first and I love how humble they look as they bend to the earth. Almost like they know how lovely they are, but would never parade themselves about on that knowledge. I have several different varieties all sprinkled about. Each different from the other. It's absolute anticipation waiting for them to open, and hoping I don't miss a display due to days upon days of showers.

My other Spring love is just starting to peek up from the ground. My tulips. Oh, how I love my tulips. All the daffodils around the garden were planted by the previous owners, and while I love them very much, they (and the forsythia) were all yellow! Nothing but shades of yellow and white everywhere. It is all very pretty and soothing I admit, but after a few years and all the cloudy, colorless winters I just needed COLOR come Spring! So, last year was the very first year I ever had tulips. And the color broke through all the yellow and grey and made me giddy every time I looked out the window. In fact, they were so memorable that I've been dreaming about them all year ever since. I planted a bunch more last fall and I am doubly excited to see what those will turn out to be! 

Back on the north side of the house is garden area we affectionately named 'Mordor' when we moved here years ago . . . it was an overgrown, hapless mess that somehow managed to look dark and barren even with out-of-control plants every which way.

Over time we have been taming it. Here is a small section I managed to clean up last Saturday. I've been working on the stepping stone path for three years now, adding more to it as I can. It wraps around Mordor a good deal, but I still have far, far to go. Kinda like Frodo.

Also in Mordor is our veggie bed. I never got around to planting anything here last year, so I am making a point of it now. The Youngest did a fine job cleaning out all the weeds, old roots and cat poo in here. We swept up the path around it and now are making planting plans. Lettuce for sure but we need to research the rest. Mordor doesn't get much sunlight, so we have to be very choosy about what goes back here. I would gratefully take suggestions as I am still very novice in the world of vegetable growing. All I know is I'm open to anything that will grow well in only partial sun to shade. Anything that is, except radishes. 

I just can't stomach radishes.

Happy Weekend!

Cheers!

~ For the Garden and Me ~

Just one of the many things I've been up to in the last couple of weeks.

Decoupaging a gardening journal.

It took five days of on-again-off-again exatco-knifing but I finally finished it. And I loved every second. Cutting can be so soothing.

I choose to highlight a very prominent flower found in my garden.

It seemed appropriate.

Music and weeds. That is definitely how I see my garden.

I hum and sing as I dig and pull- and just like the cutting and gluing, I am soothed.

Smoothed out. Refreshed. Made new.

Cheers!