Another First

For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Way of the Hicks, let me enlighten you. Every yard has a charred circle somewhere where various unwanted items are discarded to be burned. When the pile is as tall as a man, it's time to douse it in gasoline, toss in a match, and invite all your friends. Usually, the occasion is accompanied by a sinificant amount of alcohol. For us more sober types, however, it becomes the quest for the perfectly browned marshmallow--crisp on the outside, gooey on the inside, no char. You know it's a good blaze when you here the sirens. Couches and chirstmas trees usually produces quite a show. We took advantage of the unusually cool weather and indoctrineated the bub.

And this one is for you Granny!

Here! Giant hungry caterpillars! Just eat the rest of it!

Oh, sometime about March, usually when I am sick of eating mealy, tasteless, store-bought tomatoes, and paying $2/lb. for them, I dream of a lush, green garden burgeoning with lucious fruits and veggies.

Come April, I delight in plunging my hands into the rich, dark soil

and gently nestling each tiny seed in its own spot of earth.

Then, I water, and watch, and pray.

Come end of May, time for transplanting outside, and my tiny sprouts still look pathetically frail, I pray harder.

Then come the thunderstorms and the weeds.

Weeding, weeding, always weeding. Weeding and watching. Watching as the buds come on and still dreaming of those juicy, ripe tomatoes.

Then, everything grows overnight.

Numberless cucumbers and beans are pulling down their trellises, hulking zucchini are lurking just under all those leaves, and then the tomatoes!

Oh the tomatoes! They are bursting their cages.

Endless legions of red!

I have pickled, boiled, blanched, and stewed,

and still the wagons, and baskets, and counters are full!

Now in the heat of August, I have lined them up on the front porch to sun

and secretly hope that a passing car will stop and steal them all.

If this doesn't happen, I may just begin to launch them into the street!

I would rather be doing this:

and a little of this:

New Skills

I was asked what do I do all day if I am not going to work.

We play...

in the tub...

on the bed...

The bub is learning to lift up his head and roll over.

He does not like performing for the camera

out on the hammock with Bailey...

Alright, so we take naps too...

Lots of naps!

We play peekaboo...

and we are learning to talk (and spit!)

We do get out of the house occasionally.

We love playing with our family!