The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

My son looks so much like me. Here's a picture of me at about 3 or 4 years old. If you scroll down, you will see Owen.

Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I got to sleep in a bit while Bob made breakfast. Zoe and Owen were not helpful, but were allowed to watch TV. It all came to an abrupt end when the smoke detector went off five or six times. He was burning bacon and filling the house up with smoke.

Bob is very well meaning. Alas, he can't cook very well. He had two hungry kids to deal with. So, I came slumbering down at 7:30. We had waffles and coffee. The bacon was not bad despite the drama.

We had basically the same menu last year. This year of mothering has been a great one.

Zoe is maturing bit by bit. She has learned a so much this year and works hard at school. We still struggle with her attention and focus. She is getting stronger with gymnastics and now horseback riding classes. These are great for her confidence and stamina.

Owen is a force to contain and direct. He is trying so hard to talk. He studies what we say and copies Zoe the most. When she jumped into the van tonight and shouted. "you're the best!" Owen parrotted her with "the best!"

family portrait

 
Thanks to Bob Miller for this photo. It's rare to get us all in one picture. 

Where did my baby go?

  

Gardening down south

I'm an avid organic gardener. But, my gardening history has been limited to the Boston area. I've been trying to learn how to garden down south. The soil is so different. The climate is so much warmer. The bugs are very different. And the critters are just too much.

In my urban garden in Boston, I didn't have a lot of sun. Six hours a day was typical. We had a lot of shady spots since I had 100+ year old trees on my property. We couldn't plant tomatoes until Memorial Day. Here it's blazing hot and sunny with small, newly-planted trees. We do have a lovely grove of trees behind the house that may have been there for a while, but they are really a buffer between me and the power lines.

The soil in Boston was acidic, but friable. Over the years, with my organic gardening methods, I made the soil in my beds beautiful. Here is hard red clay. It's impossible to dig this soil without breaking your tools or you back.

We lived in the city. Now we live in the country. There were critters--racoons, skunks, and squirrels. Here we have rabbits and deer. I haven't seen any racoons or smelled any skunks. The rabbits and deer are more adorable. They will eat anything pretty or delicious.

The best part is discovering that there is so much to learn in gardening. Move a couple hundred miles, and you are in a whole new world. I remember a quote from Thomas Jefferson who said "Though an old man I am but a young gardener." Thanks, Tom, I couldn't have said it better myself.