Helpin' hands

Yesterday after work, the mrs. and I changed the starter on the car together.

One of us mighta gotten dirtier, but a helpin' hand helps keep a smile on your face on a job like that. Thanks m'lady.

Multi-tasking and the art of surprise

A few minutes ago I was busy outside, doing some transplanting as the cool of the evening set in. I had picked up a marjoram plant, and found the perfect spot happened to have a few garlics in the way. Tonight's dinner would be perfect with some freshly plucked purple garlics, so up they came. Proceeding to dig a hole for the new marjoram, I stumbled upon this little fortress with an evil-looking black furry spider inside.


The white circle above the spider in its hole is the man-hole cover it had built for its home. It fits nicely over the entrance--I obviously hadn't known the home was there until the lid popped open. A closer view of the spider is below.

Homesteading in action

The last couple of weeks have been pretty active on the home front. Established beds are filling out (like these Egyptian Walking Onions planted 2 years ago),

the peas are just starting to bloom and bear (like these sugar pod peas planted 3/6),

and I've just filled up one of the new beds with tomatoes (brandywine, red pear, black from tula, golden jubilee, black krim), Black beauty zucchini, straightneck squash, bush sugar baby watermelon, and toma verde tomatilloes.

Of course, the "little ones" aren't so little anymore, either. This last week, one got injured and the rest started attacking it, so we made a fine lunch out of it. At seven weeks now, the cute chick faze is over, and I'm eyeing the fatties for a nice bbq'in day.

Life's abundance

This last week, I took one more step toward living the way we've envisioned. I took up a part-time job for a local organic community farm. I can't tell you how much I've been anticipating this; to have contact daily with others who inspire you on your path, to learn continually, to share what you've learned so far, and to maybe inspire others along the way--all are reasons I've been so hyped up the last couple of weeks going into it.

These are a few things in season right now there, at Crabtree. Although the radishes come courtesy of a couple who has a plot in the community garden there(they had some extra to share). And that, in essence, is what we seek, isn't it? A little abundance in life, to share with others you meet, and inspire others to do the same.