My Garden on Summer Solstice

What better day to be out working in the garden, watering and supplementing with Epsom Salts? It's a beautiful day after a wonky weathered week. We've had lots of sun followed by rain, followed by overcast warm days. My plants seem to love it. 

 Here's our original blueberry bush. Lots of light blue berries on the vine and I can't wait to get my mitts on them.

 Lots of stuff has been growing/spreading/blossoming this week. But not my cukes. Huh. Come on guys!

 Today was a sad day for our strawberry plant. The pale, plump berries waiting for a couple hot days to ripen were murdered by the lawnmower.

 Both zucchini plants have spread out and this guy has it's first blossom! (Last year I discovered the amazing world of Epsom Salts. I used them in my garden, spraying them on my veggies at first blossom. It made a tremendous difference in the peppers we grew and I have no idea if that's what caused my 60 pounds of zucchini to grow, but I've connected those dots in my mind.)

 All four pepper plants have grown and have blossoms on them! Peas are climbing and broccoli is just about ready for first harvest!

 There's  a clump of carrots in the corner that I have no idea what to do with.

 More peas, more broccoli and more peppers. And one cute little snail creeping along my house.

And our newest addition to the backyard, a second (possibly third??) blueberry bush! It has several clumps of berries waiting for some heat!

Zoo '13/I Photobomb/Our Kids sitting on Statues

 It's a tradition. Each year, after school gets out, we head for the Zoo! Thus far, Sissy and the boys meet up with us, too. We missed it last year as I had just had Dutch and Meg was not far away from  having Miles.

 We made it happen this year, though, and it was a blast. Even the babies thought so. In this blog post, you may see few zoo animals, but you WILL see four of the cutest cousins having the best time ever.

 There are dozens of these bronze animal statues throughout the park. Without prompting, both of the older cousins ran to each one, climbing and riding on their backs!

 Clem and the penguin had a close encounter.

 During the Penguin "show" I decided to photobomb my sister AGAIN! Ha ha! I'm so hilarious!

 This was Dutch's first outing in his new (well, new to HIM, anyway) stroller, sitting like a big boy/withOUT the carrier attachment in there. He did pretty well!

Megan had to put Miles in the carrier to use his head a tripod. 

There's so much to see and do at Woodland Park Zoo. It's like a classroom, park and playground all wrapped up into one!

 The big kids got to feel a 35 pound elephant tusk.

 And Sissy insisted they get their faces painted.

Clem was a heart princess (gypsy)

 

Dutch approves!

 After a long day, it was time to hit the road. We saw just about all the sights and did all there was to do! It was another wonderful end to the school year/beginning of an awesome summer.

Soccer Star

What a difference a year makes

First Day of Preschool, September 2012

Last day of Preschool, June 2013

Not sure how it happened. I swear, I dropped off a cheeky little bug. Today I picked up a grown up (super sassy) girl. 

 So, of course we celebrated together this afternoon with Popsicles on the porch.

Father's Day 2013

 Father's Day was a low-key affair this year. Cam just wanted to grill meat and play catch with his dad. So they did. Cam and Jim used the mitts they have had since Jim was a wee lad, the same ones they played catch with when Cam was also a wee lad. Clem is still wee so she used her pink one.

 Alas, this game of catch didn't last very long. As with most things having to do with this Young Scientist, it turned into a ballet performance for one.

 

 Meanwhile, Cathy chased a somewhat mobile Dutchy all over the backyard. He went for a Sunday drive,

 and climbed on top of table tops.

 Until he could be talked into his favorite story in Grandma's Arms, in actual Grandma arms. (You see what I did there??)

This Week in MY Garden

 One of my very most favorite mama blogs to keep up on is Amanda Soule's  Blog. I don't know her in real life but her blog gives me life envy. She lives on a farm in Maine with her five kids and husband. They grow a TON of stuff to feed their own family. AND Amanda makes a lot of her own and her kids clothes using their own sheep's spun wool. AND they do whatever that is to make syrup. It's all very Little House on the Prairie. Amazing. Seriously, life envy.

I digress, the connection here is that each week she posts about the progress in her own garden, so I thought I'd do the same.
Our family will not exist on these meager portions of produce any time soon. Our vegetable garden is for funsies. A hobby. A partial commitment from Clementine. A learning opportunity for myself.

Above is our spindly little blue berry bush. The little bush that could (be trampled on by my children). It's GOING to produce fruit this year, I just know it. There's already little baby berries starting to blue on the vine. I. Can't. Wait.

 The cinder block raised bed may not look like much. It's not much, really. There are zucchini plants at either end of the bed and cukes spread in between. Our third harvest of carrots is in this bed, doing their thing underground. (Why am I growing zucchini again this year?? you ask. Obviously, you've seen the zucchini from last year still in my freezer. Well, last year I grew 60 pounds of zucchini on 3 plants. I'm hoping that my math isn't too far off expecting about 40 pounds this year. Much of which will be donated to the Bellingham Food Bank. The rest, I will eat...someday!)

 Here's mama's pride and joy. The raised bed brimming with veg. Across the back you will note the peas reaching to climb the supports there for them. In between, my broccoli. 8 broc plants this year. Oh, yes.
Four pepper plants already starting to bloom (ready for Epsom salts!). The two pepper plants in the middle are PURPLE PEPPERS which Clem picked out. Who ever heard of such a thing??? I hope they are tasty. And vibrant.
On the left corner, our first carrot harvest that somehow got mounded rather than spread in a line (probably the cat digging in the garden is my best bet. These babies will be ready in about 40 days and I'm hoping to see some crazy mutation happening below ground. With a mound like this, I ought to!
Next to the first harvest, is the second carrot harvest. A rainbowed assortment. We'll see what they decide to do.

Come to mama. 

Strawberries!

 In the non-edible portion of the backyard are my ready to burst hydrangea. This was, along with the done-for-the-season lilac bush, the very first plantings I did in the yard 4 years ago! I love seeing all my babies growing and thriving here.

 And my wall of roses. This will be the last season of roses that live  here. They were planted too close to the house (by me) and while gorgeous, they don't have the space they need to grow. Next year we will replant the healthiest ones elsewhere.