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We started in the garden right after our morning coffee, when the day still felt soft and manageable. But that dry wind had other plans—so we jumped in early, determined to get every vegetable in the ground and tucked under mulch before everything dried out.
I started first, and soon Mary followed me out, and we tag-teamed the beds. I turn the soil, Mary plants the babies, I follow up with mulch, repeat until we are too tired to move.
My smile keeps the bugs away!
We start with one-year-old bales of straw that have been sitting on the ground behind the garden, absorbing water and hopefully forcing whatever seeds are inside to germinate and croak!
Why straw works well:
- Moisture retention: It shades the soil and slows evaporation.
- Weed suppression: A 2–4 inch layer helps block weed germination.
- Soil improvement: It breaks down over time, adding organic matter.
- Temperature buffering: Keeps roots cooler in heat and reduces soil crusting.
We start with bales of straw!
After each plant is in the ground, we follow it up with careful mulching.
3-4 inches deep around each plant.
It takes a lot of tools to maintain the garden, so we have a garden workbench adjacent to it! The brown cover rolls over everything at night and during inclement weather!
The garden workbench is a busy place!
By 1:30 pm, we were officially pooped out. Mary dug the weeds out of the large bed so we can plant corn, watermelons, and cantaloupes within the next few weeks. Watermelons and cantaloupes take between 70 and 100 days to produce fruit, depending on the variety.
At 2:00 pm, we headed inside and started getting ready for tonight’s festivities at the Elks Lodge—because nothing says “party-time” like sprinting to glam up for a building named after a large, judgmental deer.
We got ready for an unforgettable St. Patrick’scelebration, where the luck of the Irish is sure to be on our side! We plan to dive into a delicious buffet featuring corned beef & cabbage, shepherd’s pies, and Jameson chicken. We will quench our thirst with a selection of drinks, including Guinness stout, Harp lager, Smithwick’s ale, and fine Irish whiskeys. We expect lively Irish thistle dancers, and we will dance the night away to the band Sideways’ energetic tunes.
Jamie joined us this evening!
Yes, we imbibed and had some green beer!
Did You Know? – Green beer is mostly an American invention tied to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the United States, not a traditional Irish practice.
Earliest known origin.
- The first widely cited, documented instance is 1914 in New York City, credited to Dr. Thomas H. Curtin (also spelled Curtin/Curtrin in some retellings), a physician and Irish? American social figure.
- At a St. Patrick’s Day event at the Schnerer Club (a social club), he reportedly added a blue dye to beer. Because beer is yellow, blue + yellow = green, producing “green beer.”
- In the early 20th century, St. Patrick’s Day in many American cities (Chicago, New York, Boston, etc.) grew into big public parades and bar-centered festivities.
- Novelty foods and drinks—green beer, later green bagels/cupcakes, etc.—fit the theme and were easy for bars to sell.
- By mid-century, green beer had become a familiar St. Patrick’s Day gimmick across the U.S. and Canada.
Nothing like using a blender to add in the grass clippings!
Michele and Franklyn joined us this evening, making for more fun!
They do look like water glasses, right?
Everyone had beer, but being the clever person I am, I ordered green wine!
I was asked about my choice of sinw several times!
The entertainment was a group of girls who enjoyed performing Irish folk dancing. They were quite amazing!
Hang on, they are about ready to perform!
Arms straight down and moving about the stage/floor at breakneck speeds. It was a wonderful performance!
They got a fantastic round of applause!
Michele and Franklyn were a load of fun this evening, mixing right in with the group.
Love the shades of green!
We may have had another beer or two—strictly for hydration.
After the second beer, I dared to go to the dance floor!
At least, Mary had them snap my “good side”. I was self-twirling” at the rate of 16 revolutions per minute, and sequins were flying everywhere!
After being asked to leave the dance floor, we went back to our table.
Needless to say, Robin took The Silver Fo home and deposited us safely at Casa Valencia!
