How Does Your Garden Grow? Partie Deux

Seeds always amaze me....carrots are up!

Tom made the most awesome pea trellis ever:
My Irises were gorgeous this year...
As were the peonies...

I love peonies...I just wish they lasted longer....they are so fleeting!

June = Strawberries & Sand

June brings strawberries, first trips to the beach for the season, the end of the school year and birthdays. It is a busy time at the Lynch household. The end of the school year was rather climatic for us....Mia ended her second year of preschool and will be headed off to kindergarten in september. She handled the end of preschool with many tears. She loved it at the Huot Child Development Center. She grew by leaps and bounds and is entering kindergarten above grade level. We know she'll do great at Woodland Heights, but she is nervous. I understand that feeling. As a child, I always had mixed emotions about growing up. (understatement of the year!)

Benjamin finished his year at daycare and is talking up a storm (finally!) and if we can find success in potty training he'll start preschool at our beloved Huot Child Development Center in September. I will be lucky to visit him everyday during my prep period.

As for me, well, sometimes I feel reluctant to talk about my work on my blog. I prefer to talk about the domestic sphere of my life. However, the end of the school year brought some exciting changes. My principal decided to restructure departments. He created a Humanities Department consisting of English, Social Studies and Modern Languages, he also created a STEM department (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). In doing so, he posted openings for department heads in those "new" departments. In thinking about my career, and where I'd like to go in Education, I applied. I am happy to report that I am one of the Department Heads of the Humanities Department at LHS! Hooray for me! I am looking forward to having more leadership exposure next year, and I realize that with greater responsibilities comes greater demands. I am up to the challenge!

School is out now and I just celebrated my 31st birthday. I was gifted a nasty virus complete with fever, aches and chills. I am tired and worn down....but am resting up for a full weekend of wedding celebrations for good (dear) friends. The summer holds some professional development time for me, some family escaping time, some gardening and some relaxing at the lake. The fall will bring great changes for us and we all move into our new roles: department head, kindergartner and preschooler. I'm trying to savor this summer with all I have. I know it will go by fast.

~Strawberries at the beach! Look at the juice running down his arm!~

~Strawberry grins!~

~Cheerful day-laborers picking the strawberry bounty!~

I know some of you readers (hello!) have missed my updates...I'll try to be better. Honestly, I was in a blog funk...but I am coming out of it...I promise....soon enough everyone will be sick of seeing so many pictures of Mia & Benji and of my flowers! Off to wash the sheets from my sick bed...cheers to summer!

How does your garden grow?

We have a small plot of land...very small, but we are working it! My outside home has become quite an extension of my inside home. I have, in the 5 summers we've lived here, planted an herb garden, expanded and planted a tiered garden, rose bushes, perrenials, a "tasha garden" and a shade garden. I love my flowers and am always dreaming up new additions. I love my herbs and use them in my cooking all spring, summer and fall. I recently added an asparagus bed; in a few years we'll reap the rewards.

I've always wanted a small vegetable garden, a potager (kitchen garden.) On a small plot, with one giant tree, there was only a little spot it could go to ensure at least 7 hours of direct sunlight. The problem was, that spot was a huge lawn & garden refuge pile. The pile was there 5 years ago when we bought the house, and we added to it. It was a monster--think Fraggle Rock. Tom ploughed through it, bagged and brought to the dump 27 bags of grass, leaves, pine needles and clippings! He then rotatilled the area flat. Together we plotted out the beds. While he built the boxes, I stratagized the plantings and bought seeds and starters. We filled the beds with organic compost and soil and planted all our favorites: tomatoes, shallots, broccoli, peas, carrots (2 hierloom varieties), brussel spouts, potatoes, lettuce, mesculin mix, and bibb lettuce. Enough to pop down and get the fixings for dinner, but I'll still go to the farmers market for cukes and onions, and other fruits and veggies. I love to peruse the market, so I didn't want to plant myself out of that joy!

Now for some pics:

~Edwin, out of his winter home (the basement-ahem) holds a little basil~

~Raised bed of lettuce and greens.~

~Mia inspects Daddy's handiwork.~

~"I just love our little garden, Mama." -Mia~

Tom and I are so pleased. It is going to be a yummy, yummy summer indeed.