Ye Olde Homestead

Signs of life observed this week:

Buds on the hydrangea.

Arugula sprouts.

Unknown flower bulbs.

This weekend I really just wanted to pretend I was on a homestead (after watching several videos during the week about people buying farms in Ireland, Portugal and more — Tom’s idea). It kinda worked. I strode about the backyard picking up trash. I secured the Birdbuddy in a new location, using string.

I even used a staple gun for the first time in my life, to attach my saved plastic liners to a raised wooden planter. (I don’t know the state of the wood so I want a barrier.)

I’ve been collecting the plastic from cereal boxes, etc. for a few months. I still need to do the bottom box, and then I need to drill drainage holes.

I also potted on more tomatoes and lettuce, and started hardening off the lettuce and onions. I finally accepted that I had way too many tomato starts, and utilized the Suburban Jungle FB page to start giving some away. Two people have stopped by for them so far.

The homesteading edged out everything else. The only food shopping was a quick trip to Sprouts Friday night, and I didn’t bake anything. But I did work on our taxes, drive N and F various places, clean out my email, do laundry, throw the softball around with F, and take the dog to have a pup date with his cousin.

I am so thrilled by my seedlings every time I go down the cellar. I want more! More grow light, more shelves, more plants.

I had a cough all week and didn’t sleep well some nights. But it was warm early in the week, 80 degrees on Tuesday. Being outside in the backyard Tuesday night reminded me of all the first days of spring when the kids were little. I was potting on seedlings outside and administering compost tea, and Tom and F were practicing softball. We talked with both sets of neighbors and Rocco was (mostly) polite!

Meals this week:

Monday: chicken nuggets, stuffing, steamed broccoli and a baked sweet potato

Tuesday: Wawa

Wednesday: Stella Pizza

Thursday: leftover pizza; attended softball meeting for parents

Friday: carnitas with cheese and guacamole salsa

Saturday: rotisserie chicken and baked sweet potatoes

Sunday: beef and chicken tacos

I ate the carnitas all weekend in various forms, including with lettuce thinnings as pictured.

Lunches: I was in the office twice and bought both times, I think.

I had a crazy dream Saturday night in which the kids were getting younger. It was a nightmare — every time I looked at them, they were a little younger and wearing smaller clothes, and it was understood that if they got to zero they would die. It was awful!! Luckily, I woke up, went back to sleep, and I had a nicer dream in which — you guessed it — I had a garden full of produce ready to pick, including all these plump watermelons and carrots (growing aboveground, oddly).