Green, green, green

Have I mentioned that the kids and I started a garden patch? I have never grown anything in my life, other than two kids. And a dog. I come from people who grow plants. My paternal grandmother and grandfather were plant nurturers. Both my mom and dad are plant nurturers. My mom grows orchids and flowers, my dad has (and this is NOT and exaggeration) 2,000 bonsai trees in his backyard. There were so many of them that he had to build "plant bleachers" on the hill in the back to fit them all. Then he had a shade structure built. At some point, he actually connected a drip irrigation system to each plant that keeps them watered. It was a humongous job, but it freed them up to be able to do things like travel. Before the drip irrigation system, they'd always say things like, "well, we'd like to come visit for a few days, but, well, you know, the trees." Oh, and did I tell you that he actually made each bonsai himself? And that he is a published writer who is currently working on his memoirs? That he had a very successful career as a landscape architect? I KNOW I told you about his collection of Korean soaps. Have I mentioned that my dad is, for lack of a better word, driven?

But I digress. I was telling you about how I have never planted anything in my life. So a few weeks ago, I read up online (don't you just LOVE the Internet?) went to Home Depot and bought soil, a few gardening tools, lumber and seeds, cleared out some of the weeds and planted. I decided to try out this square foot gardening technique. It just seemed to make sense space-wise. In the upper right is the green beans. They seem very happy. To the left of them is the cucumbers and below them is the carrots, which also seem to be doing pretty well. On the lower right is the beets and they just don't seem happy at all. I don't know if they are not getting enough sun or water or what, but they just aren't taking. I'm not really sure if they are getting enough sun, the website says 6-8 hours minimum and I think they only get 4-6. I'm not really sure what I am doing, just watering and looking. Hopefully we'll get something from it. I'll post updates. The jacarandas are coming in to bloom around here. I love how they almost always seem to bloom around the time of Emi's birthday. Have you ever seen a jacaranda tree? They bloom flowers in the most beautiful shade of lavender -- almost a periwinkle blue, but lavender. Then the blooms fall to the ground and leave a lavendar snow fall all over the ground. I'll try and snap a picture of the jacaranda trees down the street. Give it a little time, they are not quite in full bloom yet.

Here is my sock-in-progress. I decided to go for the clog heel. I like the way the pattern repeats seem to make the time go faster. Each repeat is 12 rows. I feel like I am knitting like the wind. Knitting like the wind is a good thing. I wish I really could knit like the wind. You'd see a lot more FO's around this place if I did.