Look Mom!!! (**Warning Graphic Photo**)

I had a surprise waiting outside for me this morning.

 

You are welcome, Mom!

 Who's the man?  I'm the man!

Do Your Job!

I have two garden helpers, Jack and Julie.  I was so disappointed with their work today.  I came out to weed the little lady raised bed and found that there were 8 birds just sitting there and helping themselves to whatever they wanted.  It is Jack and Julie's job to keep birds out of the yard.  That is all they have to do.  That is their one job.  They failed today.  You can tell that they felt guilty the look on their faces.

Jack

 

Jack is giving classic "puppy eyes" saying I am too cute for you to be mad at me.  A strategy which has served him well over the years.

Julie

Julie is doing her impression of a statue saying if I don't acknowledge you I can't get into trouble.  A strategy which has not worked well for her. 

A Moment of Silence

I have had a love/hate relationship with an Ilex opaca, a.k.a. Holly, for over a decade.  I loved her because in the winter birds nested in her and ate her little red berries. I really enjoyed sitting on the front porch and watching the birds fly in and out of the tree.  However, that was the only thing that I could see.  I hated that Holly blocked the view from the front porch as well as the view of the front door from the street.  She made me feel claustrophobic.  I don't like killing things so for many years I just left Holly where she was, but I have had enough.  I tried to find a new home for Holly, but there wasn't really anywhere to put her so I decided to just remove her. 

The boy offered to help and I am not one to turn away free labor.  We started by trimming Holly so that her leaves wouldn't prick the boy.  Holly thought she was just getting a trim, but I knew what was coming.  I felt so guilty, but finally the boy had had enough and very emphatically told me, "Mom!! If you apologize to the tree one more time, I am not helping you!!"  So I stopped talking to the tree.

 

 

Holly did not go down easy.  

 

The boy really had to put his back into it.

 



 

Actually he really had to put an axe into it.

 



 

But finally Holly succumbed to the boy's determination, brute strength and sharp objects.

 



 

I am actually really happy with how things turned out.  The front is much more open now.  It looks clean and neat and my view isn't blocked anymore.  I love it!  A moment of silence for Holly.

The GMO Debate

I don’t think that all the answers are in with the GMO controversy.  Moreover, I don’t think that we will have all the answers in our lifetime. I am concerned that we have unleashed a beast that we will never again be able to reign in.  My gut tells me that GMOs are not the best way to go. (Notice that I am being diplomatic.)  One of my motivations for gardening is having access to healthy food and I am not convinced that GMOs are safe.  I don’t want to eat GMOs and I don’t want anything to do with them in my garden.  I am content to let better minds rage on in the debate while I create my own little organic haven on Love’s Acre.  So, no GMOs for me or Love’s Acre. 

Mom, Where Are You?

 In addition to the edible garden I am planting this year, I am also doing some landscaping.  Things are pretty overgrown.  There are some trees that I can't even get under to mow. So a little pruning is in order.

 

The son:           Mom, where are you?

The mommy:   Outside.

The son:           Where outside?

The mommy:   Uh . . . in the tree . . . with a saw.

The son:           What are you doing?

The mommy:   Cutting down some limbs.

The son:           Are you standing on any of them?

The mommy:   Maybe you should help me down.

 Despite a less than stellar beginning, I did get the job done with a little help from the son.

I Have Blueberries!

Given the raspberry bush's heartbreaking demise.  I am very pleased to announce that I have blueberries!!  Both bushes have grown these beautiful plump little berries.  Given my lack of gardening knowledge and limited skills, I am in awe.

 



So far, I have been lucky and the birds haven't noticed them.  The rabbits seem to be staying away as well.  I don't know how long this will last, but today I am thankful and amazed.

Poor as Dirt

We have a saying in the south known as "poor as dirt".  Well, things have been really tight lately and I am poorer than dirt.  I didn't want to spend money on topsoil so I have been cannibalizing it from different areas, old flower beds etc., around the yard.  I guess a more appropriate term would be upcycling.  I can't imagine what the neighbors think.  Hopefully, I will have everything in order by the end of the summer and they will see that there is a method to my madness. 

 

 

 

The good news is that I was able to fill the little lady raised bed with topsoil and get the seeds into the dirt.  I was so excited that I completely overplanted the thing.  I now have carrots, zucchini, peas, okra, cucumbers and watermelon all planted in a 4' x 8' space.  It is going to be survival of the fittest. It will be interesting to see who makes it.