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<\/a><\/p>\nI am still growing some perennials in my greenhouse.\u00a0 And I left a batch of tomatoes in hopes that they will produce an early crop.\u00a0 But, overall, the greenhouse looks naked now.<\/p>\n
The rows of squash, zucchini, and tomato that I planted were endless.<\/p>\n Eventually I ran out of cages and had to find some old stakes to hold them upright.<\/p>\n The peppers had to settle for space between the cucumber cages and if these eggplants all reach maturity, they’ll be crowded for sure.<\/p>\n The cantalope transplants went in, but I didn’t have room to sow the watermelon or the okra seeds because I didn’t have the heart to pull up the remaining lettuce…<\/p>\n …chard…<\/p>\n …spinach…<\/p>\n …and green onions.<\/p>\n Even the potatoes, which I assumed would die like they always do, were growing strong.<\/p>\n Although something is eating the red onion tops.\u00a0 Just the red onion tops.\u00a0 Nothing else in the garden.\u00a0 WTH?<\/p>\n I have never put in transplants this big.\u00a0 The shock might be too much.\u00a0 They might die or their growth be really set back.\u00a0 But, oh, it was beautiful sight as the sun began to sink.<\/p>\n And after a full day of gardening I hiked up the driveway, anticipating a steamy shower to soak away the grime and a long sit on the couch to ease my achy knees and back. \u00a0 Too bad as soon as I came in the door, the kids jumped up, all excited.<\/p>\n “Yeah, time for movie night!!!”<\/p>\n Right.\u00a0 Movie night at school.\u00a0 At least\u00a0 sitting on the hard gym floor to watch Toy Story 3 would be offset by the free pizza, drinks, and popcorn.<\/p>\n Yeah, don’t have to make dinner!!!<\/p>\n As it turned out, I had a collapsible soccer chair to sit in, a friend to chat with in the back row, and even managed to stay awake on the drive home.\u00a0 Although I think I nodded off as I finally headed up the stairs to put the kids to bed.\u00a0 Good thing I had the pain in my knees to keep me awake.\u00a0 Count your blessings, people.<\/p>\n Luckily, on Saturday morning, we just had to change Tina’s splints and then got to spend the afternoon helping out at my friend’s place for the Piedmont Farm Tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n While my dad worked on smoothing the driveway where the trench for water and electric had left a 6 inch dip,<\/p>\n we removed Tina’s splints and reveled in her new straight legs.<\/p>\n We even watched her walk on her own for a few minutes.<\/p>\n Which would have made us cheer.\u00a0 Except, just as she lost the strength in her legs and began to sink down, we heard an awful sound.\u00a0 It kind of sounded like someone getting hit by a baseball right in the face.\u00a0 Because that’s exactly what it was.\u00a0 Middle and Little had been playing baseball in the front yard before The Other Half showed up to take them to baseball practice.\u00a0 Now Middle was practicing bleeding all down the front of his shirt.<\/p>\n Which meant he and I were off to the Urgent Care while my dad took over splinting Tina and my mom played War with Little to keep him busy while we were gone.\u00a0 While we were in the waiting room, my dad picked up Pretty’s friend that I was supposed to pick up for a sleepover.\u00a0 As soon as we got back (No stitches, but one loose permanent <\/strong>tooth. UGH!), my mom took Middle under her arm and bustled him off to their house with ice packs, ibuprofen, and promises of Frostys from Wendy’s so he wouldn’t have to sit at farm tour with us.<\/p>\n There was a time when my parents didn’t live nearby.\u00a0 They weren’t here to spend their spare time doing farm chores, playing cards, and managing injured children.\u00a0 I don’t like to think about those times.\u00a0 I have mostly blocked them out.\u00a0 I prefer to focus on how very happy, grateful, and desperately dependent we are on them now.\u00a0 We love you, Mom and Dad!!!!<\/p>\n So with Big and Little finally off to baseball practice and Middle sent to my parent’s house,\u00a0 Pretty and her friend and I headed off to Avillion Farm to assist with the farm tour.\u00a0 Since the Urgent Care had taken all of lunch time, we stopped at McDonald’s, shoveled in our cheeseburgers on the way to the farm, and crammed the take out bags under the seat.\u00a0 You cannot show up at a local food event with McDonald’s, people.\u00a0 It is truly poor taste.\u00a0 I mean, worse than white shoes before Memorial day.\u00a0 Really.<\/p>\n We brought the lambs, Simon and Isaac, so that people could have an up close and touchable look at Shetland sheep.\u00a0 The kids enjoyed it, the lambs enjoyed it, and for a minute all was well with the world.<\/p>\n Well, except for the way that Pretty and her friend kept finding ticks on themselves.\u00a0 I’m not worried about Pretty.\u00a0 We know to check for ticks in the shower at night and then move on.\u00a0 But what is the tick liability for other people’s children.\u00a0 Is there a tick waiver?<\/p>\n “I, the undersigned parent, have exposed your child\/ren to the educational and fun activities of the outdoors and kept him\/her\/them out of your hair for ____ hours.\u00a0 I have also exposed them to ticks, animal manure, and maybe, poison ivy.\u00a0 Also, I fed them McDonald’s.\u00a0 Please be aware that my liability ends the minute I drop them back off at your door. (Although I do recommend tweezers for ticks, rhus tox for poison ivy, and an apple before bed to offset McDonald’s.)\u00a0 Thank you for participation”\u00a0 Signed, me.<\/p>\n I guess I’d need to amend it, though, because after the farm tour we stopped at the Dogwood Festival in town and got funnel cakes.\u00a0 Who knows what I exposed the kids to at a festival vendor.\u00a0 So, on second thought, maybe I’ll leave that off.<\/p>\n In any case, I had to rely on my aching belly (Yes, I ate an entire funnel cake.\u00a0 By myself.) to make it up the stairs to bed on Saturday night.<\/p>\n Good thing all I had to do on Sunday was to enjoy visiting other farms on the tour.\u00a0 Pretty’s friend was still with us and we were meeting up with another friend so the boys would have someone to play with.\u00a0 Nothing better than a relaxing afternoon cruising through the country, letting the kids explore the sights and sounds of other people’s farm adventures.\u00a0 Every once in a while I like proof that I am not crazy for trying to eek subsistence out of the land.\u00a0 Or at least proof that there just as many crazy people as me.<\/p>\n Too bad Big started complaining as soon as he got up.\u00a0 He hated farm tour, he’s been on a million farm tours, he’d be bored on farm tour, blah, blah, moan and whine, blah.\u00a0 Loosely translated, all those complaints meant he would make the rest of us miserable on farm tour.<\/p>\n Remember how I said I was very happy, grateful, and desperately dependent on my parents since they moved down here?\u00a0 Quadruple that sentiment.\u00a0 No, millionruple it.\u00a0 Because Big and I struck a deal by which he would go to my parents’ house, do whatever chores they needed done (while refusing any monetary compensation), work on homework, and, by default, refrain from making the rest of us miserable.<\/p>\n So after Sunday school, we dropped off the sullen child, picked up the injured one, and enjoyed lunch together before heading out.\u00a0 By “together” I mean, that the kids sat on the deck and ate while my parents and I sat inside to eat and had adult conversation.\u00a0 That’s also what I mean by “enjoy.”\u00a0 Ah, Sunday lunch together.<\/p>\n Then off to the tour.\u00a0 And what a tour it was!<\/p>\n A bison farm…<\/p>\n …with a wagon ride around the property.<\/p>\n A lovely flower farm…<\/p>\n …that will have tomatoes before we do.<\/p>\n A lamb farm from the 1800’s…<\/p>\n …where the old and new live side by side.<\/p>\n And a farm that made us feel…<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n