preparing

This long patch of ground against one side of my lawn and the fence is all just full of weeds. I'm working hard at clearing it out so I can plant more vegetables there!

The other side, is growing well!

bugs

Our little garden is flourishing (except for the carrots) so A has been encouraged that we will actually be able to eat from it one day, and prompted me to plant more. I'm almost done clearing the plot on the other side of the yard. In the process of uprooting weeds (some monstrously high) and overturning the soil, we've discovered many interesting bugs. Here is a curious one (actually bright green). Isa thinks it's a stink bug, because he looks like the bug Stinky in a cartoon she watches.



We also found a beautiful beetle, black with irridescent gold legs, antenna and head, but it scurried about so fast I couldn't get a photo.

And, we found a Praying Mantis!




This is really really cool. I'd never seen one up close before. He's in Isa's plastic bug-house, and every night I've been catching small moths that come to the porch light. In the morning, they're always gone with little wings littering his floor. (He won't eat houseflies, too bad)

Isa is fascinated:

critter

Tonight, Irwin brought home a small rodent which I think is a vole. It had extremely soft fur, and was still breathing when I picked it up. Died, so I buried it in the garden (And yes, I washed my hands several times) but it was very cool to see the little thing up close. I wonder if he's gotten many more rodents before this, or brought home his first one?

bunnies

There are two rabbits that habitually come through our front yard in the early morning. I'm pretty sure these are domestic rabbits, gotten loose. I wonder if there the ones nibbling my seedlings in the garden just when they've sprouted. I don't mind Irwin being out at night because I hope he keeps these guys away from the garden! I'm considering getting a live-trap and then finding someone on Craigslist to adopt the guys. They are cute, and as big as Irwin himself! I've seen wild rabbits about, too, but these ones are much bigger, and let me get quite close to them- as near as several feet.

new growth

.
I am happy that my work in the garden is showing some results! A is anxious that Isa learns food doesn't just come from the grocery store, so she has been helping water, weed, and get excited about the sprouting plants. We now have:

Radishes

Beets

Carrots

Lettuce

Broccoli

Green Beans

Peas

Cucumbers

Zucchini

The only ones that haven't come up yet are the spinach, bell peppers and cantaloupe. The birds ate all the cantaloupe seeds after watching me plant them- A thinks I was crazy to try and grow cantaloupes anyways! I was doubtful for carrots too, but they're popping up now. I still need to buy tomato plants. Although the green beans have grown fastest, I think radishes will be ready to eat first, I can already see red blushing root crowning. Salad time! Yum.

Oh, and our cats made their first foray up a tree today: