In The Midst of Early Summer

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Mosquito bites have covered us since Sunday. Hours of weeding, tilling, planting tomato seedling after tomato seedling. Is their any prettier site than freshly tilled dirt?

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Tuesday it is me and the boys at the library and then the farmer’s market for asparagus and strawberries. I ran into my midwife and then the asparagus man gave me some pointers on planting peppers and tomatoes. We returned home to share strawberries with a happy, dirty papa.

Pepper rows have been prepared.

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When papa came home from work last night I knew I should take the boys to the farm by myself. It isn’t that he doesn’t want to go, simply that he has other things to tend to and doesn’t have the luxury of paying a visit to the chickens.

So I packed up the boys, my trusty tote bag and the ergo and we headed out.

A big box full of greens, radishes, turnips, onions, asparagus, strawberries, mint and garlic scapes. My tote bag is full of extra spinach, turnips and radishes leftover from the market along with three dozen guinea eggs.

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We admired the chickens, the rows of vegetables and berries, and had a chat with Deb, the farmer. With the baby sporting a onesie that says “I heart raw milk”, we chat about the possibility of buying a share in their cow herd.

A perfect evening.

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We returned home to a dirty, tired and happy papa. Peppers have been planted. Cucumber plants next to the nearly 50 tomato plants. More winter squash over in the corner.

After checking my kefir, lentil sprouts and radish sprouts it was time to put the boys to bed. There are hugs and kisses goodnight, then papa heads back to return only after dark. A shower, a bowl of strawberries with cream and it’s time for bed.

I wake up to lots of dirty dishes, laundry waiting to be put away and overcast skies.

Somehow rain brings relief. No watering of herb pots today. Maybe we’ll take a day off from planting. Maybe the dishes will actually get done.

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My fingernails are in a constant state of dirty. It’s beautiful.

Maybe someday we’ll live in a yurt. A girl can dream.

This post is a contribution to Fight Back Friday and Frugal Friday.

9 responses to “In The Midst of Early Summer”

  1. Milkmaid

    You’re living the dream, Shannon, and tackling so much for a beginner. Congratulations on all your hard work!

    [Reply]

  2. Amanda

    Wow! Such hard work! Your garden is so much bigger than last year. Nice work! It looks lovely!

    [Reply]

  3. Denise

    50 tomato plants? really? wow, Shannon that is incredible. I have seven.

    [Reply]

  4. FoodRenegade

    What lovely pics. Thanks for the snapshots into your life.

    Cheers,
    KristenM
    (AKA FoodRenegade)

    [Reply]

  5. The Prudent Homemaker

    What beautiful black soil!

    We’re a lot warmer here; we’ve starting to harvest the frist of the tomatoes now, as well as peaches, apricots, and figs. We’re eating swiss chard and waiting for the zucchini and cucumbers to start producing.

    [Reply]

  6. Heather@WoolandFlax

    Sounds wonderful. There’s something special about that feeling you get after a good day working outside…and the feeling of quiet retreat on a rainy day. What a lovely picture of life’s rhythm. :-)

    [Reply]

  7. Michelle @ Find Your Balance

    I like how you wrote this like a story :-) It sounds lovely and I’m jealous of your garden!

    [Reply]

  8. Fight Back Fridays June 12th | Food Renegade

    [...] 1. ElizabethG (Collard Greens)2. A Green Spell (herbal iron syrup)3. WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE FOOD PYRAMID? – Kelly the Kitchen Kop4. Eating Simply (Golden Zucchini Saute)5. Organic Farming is High Tech (Farm To Table)6. Girl Gone Domestic (my kitchen, my throne)7. Lindsay Young ( The Happy Dish): AAEM, Probiotics & GMOs8. Throwback at Trapper Creek9. Sustainable Fish Soundbites (FoodieTots)10. Hugging the Coast (Mayo Free Salads)11. Michelles Health and Food Site (Cacao, Seed & Goji Treats)12. EcoYogini (Coffee; Ethics & Eco Pt1)13. My Life Without Carbs14. Acai Berry – Don’t Believe the Hype (Vin – NaturalBias)15. Shannon (local foods in early summer) [...]

  9. Crystal

    “….Maybe someday we’ll live in a yurt. A girl can dream….”…….
    yes :) it was one of my dreams as well ;)

    [Reply]

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