Gardening

Well... I know it's been a very long time since we (meaning I) have posted. I can never pinpoint where the time goes. We keep busy, that is for sure... it's the only explanation for how three weeks can just pass right by.  We've done lots of yard work, enjoyed Memorial Day weekend with friends, family, and of course plenty of food, said good-bye for the summer to our friends at City Mission, gone to a couple of Tigers games, made preparations for Keith and Tarah's wedding (next Friday!), and even spent some time relaxing in the sun. Not a bad way to spend three weeks!

I wish I'd taken some pictures after the storms last weekend. Our yard was a mess! A couple of huge limbs came down, and our patio furniture blew over all in one piece (umbrella, stand, and table) and landed on the lawn. The power was out from Sunday afternoon until Monday morning, and even now isn't back to 100%... the lights, vent fan in the bathroom, air conditioning, and garbage disposal all seem to be running at half-mast. But I'm definitely thankful for the power we do have! Although truthfully, Sunday night was kind of nice with candles everywhere, reading in complete peace and quiet and eating all the ice cream before it could melt. If only we hadn't been so worried about the food in the freezer and the sump pump working, I think we could've (temporarily) gotten used to the Amish lifestyle. :)

To get to the title of this post... the garden... along with all our yardwork Memorial Day weekend, we planted a vegetable garden for the first time. Justin ripped out the area behind our garage and built it up with railroad ties to create a nice little box. We also replaced the rotting railroad ties around the flowerbed behind the deck and put down a new layer of cocoa mulch everywhere (which unfortunately has now been completely covered by helicopters... I do NOT remember having this problem last year, and it's awfully frusterating!). Here are a couple of pictures: 

This is the day we put everything down and planted the seeds. From left to right, tomatillos, cucumbers, squash, banana peppers, pea pods, green beans, cherry tomatoes, and corn... pretty ambitious, but why not? And while I'm thinking about it, if you want to know a fun fact about me... tomatoes are my #1 favorite food, especially the cherry/grape varieties. :)

And this picture was taken today, just 17 days later! I already had to go in and thin out the plants.

Justin got home while I was out taking pictures. He's on his fourth week of riding his bike to work... pretty impressive. He was standing on the deck and I told him to be still so I could take a picture of all my favorite things... haha... 

And just for fun, a couple pictures from the Tigers game on Friday. The sky was gorgeous!

That's about all I've got for now. Hope everyone is well!