It’s not quite 1950s music, but it certainly captures the essence of the last few days. We’ve spent 6-8 hours a day tending to our various gardens, and one entire day was dedicated solely to the front yard.
I always dread gearing up for the gym, especially when squeezing my iPhone, car keys, and wallet into my ninja outfit’s tiny, shallow pockets. It’s like trying to solve a puzzle while wearing spandex. It’s a workout just trying to fit everything in there!
The workout session went about as well as a cat wearing socks. I mean, they had to use a gag on me to stop my screams of pain. It was like a scene from a comedy movie, but we survived and managed to crawl to the car.
Since we were practically neighbors with Home Depot, we swung by there first! We needed to restock on flowers and veggies because a sneaky rabbit had a feast in our garden last night. I can’t blame the little guy for having good taste, but he’s not getting seconds!
The Silver Fox continues to be treated like a pickup truck.
Mary fixed a great breakfast consisting of tamales, hard-boiled eggs, fried tomatoes, a beautiful mushroom, and some slices from the Chinese radishes. Everything was on a fresh bed of Swiss chard.
Breakfast of champions!
We started the yard at noon. The first item on the agenda was to remove the sweet peas and save the tomato that was entwined inside. After trimming this monster, we officially ran out of trashcan room.
Before
With surgical precision, we were able to clean out the sweet peas and, at the same time, save the tomato by putting its branches on the trellis. Probably 50 Roma tomatoes on the plant were invisible before the surgery.
Roma tomatoes develop few seeds and dense flesh, making them perfect for a food processor. With a low water content, Romas are ideal for spreads, ketchup, and sauces. These tangy tomatoes are just as great served fresh on bread and in salads. We like them sliced in half and broiled/fried with Chef Mary’s magic herb mixture.
After, gone but not forgotten.
Did You Know” The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Nahuatl word tomatl gave rise to the Spanish word tomate, which derives from the English word tomato.
Now we get serious. While contorting into obscene shapes at the gym, I remembered I bought wire fencing for the garden two years ago. It was stashed behind the garden cabinets at the back of the lot.
Finally, it comes out of its container and goes to work after two years!
Well, with the help of my heavy-duty fencing pliers, I now have bunny-proof cages! I made them so they could be taken apart at the end of the season and stored neatly. They ought to last for years.
We made five cages to protect our little veggies and keep the rabbits away!
Mary went all green thumb and planted about ten veggies, then headed to the patio for more gardening shenanigans. I thought I was a pro with Miracle-Grow, but when I tried to shut off the water, the knob wouldn’t cooperate! That cheap Chinese hose bib strikes again – the third time’s not a charm!
So, I went to Home Depot, and the car was on automatic. I swear, that car is so independent that it even knows where to buy its own replacement parts!
The hose bib was replaced, and everything is now well!
At 6:00 p.m., we were shot! We somehow managed to get to the hot tub and soaked for an hour. We called Robin and talked to her for a while during that soak. We did not do dinner as it was too much work!
This was day four of gardening, about eight hours a day. I thought we were retired, not hired as full-time gardeners!
Lights out, we are done!
