May Day and Gardening

Ok, so here is the post I started working on  last night -
"Shout out to uncle Ed for getting my computer fixed so I can finally get some work done! :)  (I use the word work very lightly) -

Here is some work we really have been doing today -
By the way - it is dry here, I mean really, really dry, like makes you want to cry dry, and hot, really, really hot - it is the 2nd of May and too hot!" 

.....Stopped here to get kids in bed, etc... with the intention of finishing this morning....

WELL, during the night I woke up to feed LK and what did I hear?  The pitter patter of rain drops on our roof - praise the Lord!  I mean, it has been great hay cutting/baling weather, but not so good hay, grass, corn, bean growing weather.  So, we are very thankful for the rain and now in the next few days we will be planting soybeans. 

Friday, we will fluff hay and side dress corn (I will try to get some pictures and a good explanation from Ben for a later post).

We did go to the library Tuesday and celebrated May Day (which Ben says has something to do with communist Russia, but I assured him we were merely celebrating spring - I hope). 

Let me just say that Jack is a LOT like me and Ben - he is pretty stand-offish and usually will not dance and act silly around other people.  So, I have to say I was pretty suprised when he colored and put together his May Day crown and said he would wear it.  The green GAP shirt was an Easter gift from my mom.  He says its his new favorite shirt because it's "kinda shiny and green".

We attempted a May pole, but I'm not sure we had the right directions.

We also planted some sunflower seeds and read a few books.  All in all a pretty good May Day.

***

Yesterday, for some reason, I decided to plant the rest of our garden even though it hasn't rained in a while.  Jack and I planted our corn last week, but I am not really excited about the stand we have right now, so we may go back and replant.

We have already been enjoying our asparagus - which Jack promises me is bamboo - if so, we have eaten some really good bamboo this year.


our asparagus - uh, bamboo?



Jack found a ladybug, and yes that is a spit bubble, we're trying to break the habit...yuk

My plan was to only plant corn and tomatoes this year and then "share" mom and dad's garden.  Well, I caved.  We planted 8 rows of corn, 18 Roma tomato plantes, 8 Big Boy tomato plants, and 10 hills of squash (more tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans to come).
A few things I have learned from people way more experienced  at gardening than me, so when I plant my tomatoes I do it just like my mamaw Dixon taught me.
First, we dig holes and fill them half full of Black Kow fertilizer (I know we have cows and FREE fertilizer, but that's what mamaw does, so don't judge).

Ok, then this is what I think is the secret, or maybe everyone knows, but it was news to me.  You take the plant, pinch off the lower leaves, or "suckers" as mamaw calls them, and plant.  She says to cover up about 2/3 of the stem, so...

Left plant sucker free, right plant pre-pinching

With that work done, we took a break for popsicles -

Showing off his working boy feet.



Jack said, "It's a beautiful day outside today.  Take a picture of the sky mom."



Then we went inside to check on princess feather, who did this the whole time we worked out in the garden -

 

Addition from Ben - "Did you tell them that is rained twice as much today than it did the whole month of April?  You didn't think of that did you, big'un?"  "Big'un" is what Jack used to call me.  We had to break that habit when he started calling other people the same thing - and there was a pretty embarassing moment at a family reunion - no more calling people "big'un". 

So it rained a lot...



We sat on the front porch and watched it rain



LK called her dad and talked a bit



I don't even begin to know what that scary face is about, probably a bad guys Star Wars face

Showing off his big boy summer hair cut

Jack talk -  Jack has really gotten into planets and space - thanks, I am sure, in no small part to his infatuation with Star Wars.   He and Ben have a National Geographic Universe book they look at a lot of nights.  In the car the other days we were talking about the planets and quizzing him to see how many he actually knew.  It went a little like this -
"Hey Jack, can you tell us the name of some of the planets?"
"Sure, Mars, it's red, and Saturn, it has a big ring around it, (he adds in a few more, Jupiter, Mercury) AND the planet Luke lives on, you know, Tatooine.  It has two suns".  Precious.  I can't wait for elementary school.

And I had to include these last two -

Happy May!!!