We are soon to be in serious trouble. Last year we had four green bean plants and they provided amply for us. This year it's more like fourteen and we're hoping to store some food up for the upcoming apocalypse.
Last year we had five tomato plants and too many of 'em rotted on the counter. This year I only bought three. Then my girl found a yellow one. Then I remembered how the spaghetti sauce was a bit runny so I bought a roma for it's thicker pastiness. Then one caught on from a batch of heirloom seeds I was trying. Then one spontaneously sprung from the garden from last years droppings and how can I kill something to hardy (plus I'm hoping it's a Brandywine because by the time I bought all my plants there was no more room for a Brandywine). So it looks like we're going to be double overrun with tomatoes.
The heirloom carrots are doing well but the pepper plants are puny. I threw some pumpkin seeds in the compost pile so with any luck Walmart won't get as much of our moolah this October.
And all this came about because I saw some baby tomatoes this morning and started looking for that great marinara sauce recipe we used last year.... and couldn't find it. Shhhh... don't tell the Mrs. as she'll be mightily saddened. By the way, pay no attention to the weeds in the picture above.
Also growing are the raspberry plants. Three years ago they went in and did nothing, last year we had a double handful of berries. This year we can't keep up, a delightful position to be in!
The lone grape plant also went in three years ago but since it shared the same space as the thriving raspberries and was starting to work it's way under the siding I moved them this spring, hoping that I was gentle enough to not disrupt what should be their first crop. They did some sprouting and then withered, leaving one disappointed amateur horticulturist. But then they started plumping up! And up!
And up! There are currently about the size of a dime but I haven't time to go take and upload new pictures... gotta get ready for church y'all.
For those at Redeemer, well, we didn't make it. That baby was up last night and I suddenly realized that I had let time get away from me and would need to get five kids up and ready (plus two groggy adults) in an hours, plus we are going to my dad's right after church so we'd have to pick up and pack changes of clothes for everyone (plus swimsuits) and I made the executive decision to skip church. The fault is all mine. Sorry.
WE WILL BURY YOU!
Artists depiction of the head of the Hoffman household.
Ya know, ever since being a mom, I have a lot more respect for the traditions that relieve the family from all regular obligations after a baby is born. The Jews declare the mother "unclean" for 4-6 weeks after a baby is born, so do the Muslims. Not really to say "ewww, you're unclean" but so that the family's energy can be focused on recooperating and learning about that new little one...and everyone knows that a baby just turns everything upside down. They don't have to follow all the prayers or rituals during that time. And even if the parents have done all of this before, the baby hasn't...and the fact that the baby is learning about nursing and life outside of the womb and going through a major adjustment is a big part of what causes all that stress.
ReplyDeleteEven the Eastern Orthodox have a tradition that emphasizes that the mother should be relieved of most of her responsibilities for that 6 weeks, with the exception of the baptism...(not so that it all falls on the dad, but so that the community of believers comes in and helps). They are treated more like shut ins, with the Sacrament being brought to them.
I had a client once who was from Saudi Arabia. She'd been really struggling after she had her baby, because if she'd been home, her family would be there taking care of things, plus the midwife would be coming in daily to give her a massage while she recooperated.
In the United States, we're running around trying to get everything done and get back into thw swing of things two days postpartum.
So, while the Word and Sacraments are important to you and your family at this point as well as all points...good job Dad. It's your role to look after all aspects of your family's well-being.
We missed you, but sometimes sanity is a good choice. :)
ReplyDeleteFrom the looks of your garden it will be a tasty apocalypse.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have tomatoes coming out of my ying-yang this year. I'm getting the ying-yang surgically enhanced to deal with it all (I don't even know what that means, but I wasn't trying to be gross).
ReplyDeleteWe have two BIG pumpkin plants and a watermelon plant that seems to be doing well.
The onions were planted as seeds by my 9 year old daughter and only a few have popped up. Same with the peppers. My guess is that I'll have peppers sometime in October if the plants live that long.
My solitary pepper plant is likewise wimpering along. Not sure why but it could have to do with the fact that I poured a bottle of hot sauce on it to make the peppers spicy.
ReplyDeleteNext year I'm going all vertical. I think Kramer would approve.
And yes, we are eagerly awaiting the apocalypse! We had a test run last night with some freshly picked green beans and tomorrow we're going to have some special Kool-Aid.