Big Love Stories

The sun is warming us up around here.  And just in time…I was seriously contemplating going on a shopping spree at our local toy store because I was feeling somewhat desperate for new inside activities.  A few sunny days and we are all feeling a lot better.  The runny noses are gone. We are dirty.  We are really tired at the end of the day.  And, I am inspired and motivated to get a jump start on things.

baby kale

I got the garden beds all cleaned up this past weekend.  I hadn’t yet raked up from the fall, so it was a big effort to get all of the leaves and sticks cleared away. But, then…ahhh…a clean canvas!  Today, Micah and Kai planted pea starts in the children’s garden and I planted a bed of spring greens, two kinds of lettuce, arugula, and mizuna.

peas line the fence of the children's garden

bed of greens

The most exciting part of the day (for me) was how WONDERFUL our chicken compost is.  I dug down into the bottom of our compost bins and came out with the most beautiful, dark, rich soil to amend my beds with.  It was so satisfying to see the random egg shells, missed rubber band from a bundle of greens, and avocado skin.  To reap the benefits of carrying that rotten, smelly food out to the yard each day was very satisfying.  And, of course, we can’t forget to thank you chickens for their contribution.  Thank you, lady hens!

And, here’s a few other things the sunshine has inspired.

our new patio furniture-children sized, of course

We are desperately in need of deck and (soon) patio furniture, so Dan was a little apprehensive of my desire to get a child-sized table.  I insisted, though…knowing just how much use it would get from all of the kids.  And, how much they would love it being just their size.  The set is from Ikea. The kids made quick use of it.

play dough sculptures in the sunshine

Corinne's pokey love sculpture

Micah

I imagine there will be many hours logged at this little table.  And very soon, we’ll get a bigger one so the grown ups have a place to sit too.

Happy sunshine!