Urban Farming Part 1

My neighbors to the east have tilled their *entire* yard and 3 or 4 families have planted there. I told him he had quite the farm going, and he said he was making up for all the years he's been telling me he should do something back there. It's quite a sight to behold...looooooong rows of veggies: tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, corn, etc. I'll post a photo when things get a little bigger. It's a nice view, but the prime sitting spot is directly on the other side of the (chain link) fence (since my catalpa sheds afternoon shade there) so I've got to get my bamboo fence back up soon - for a little privacy and for the hostas planted there - they don't like the morning sun even.

As for the privacy, it won't do much for increasing peace and quiet - at least not when the whole "tribe" (my neighbor's terminology, not mine) is there. At those times, moms and dads are speaking Tongan at the top of their lungs (got to hear over the sound of the roto-tiller, you know) and the kids are riding bikes up and down the driveway, sidewalks and street. Oh, well, the weekday mornings are heavenly, as they're all hard working folks.

I'm glad to see it. Beats the heck out of a weed farm.

seedlings

I love starting seeds. When they first poked their little green heads out, I put them in the sun, and left the tray out on the deck for the warm night. I took this the next morning.

Cones

The blue spruce in the front yard has its first cones! Many years ago, the New Frontiers Natural Food Market was giving away seedlings for Earth Day. My mom and one of my sisters was visiting from the East Coast, and when we went to the market, we each took one home. I grew them in pots and the two lilacs and spruce have now been firmly ensconced in the front yard landscape since '94 or so.

Birds

Lately, birds seem to be everywhere. Sure, there's the usual coming-of-summer chirping in the morning (I love that) but when the neighbors goslings (which I thought were ducks when they appeared after Easter) started growing, there was the sound of their progress across the "lawn" next door when someone came through the gate. (Watch-geese?)

This morning, though, a bird made its presence known to me in a most surprising way.

I decided to forgo my morning caffeine until after I got a few things accomplished, and make my regular latte more of a reward than a habit. It was 8:15 or so, and I was having a much-needed weeding session in the front yard, when suddenly I felt what I thought was a large insect plastering itself to my left arm, right below the elbow. I'm sure by now you realized what happened - a bird crapped on my arm! Yuk! Must have been flying overhead, because by the time I realized it was no insect but rather a hot steamy glop of bird do-do, there was nothing to be seen in the tree overhead or in the sky.

Needless to say, I went into the house and washed my arm twice with Dr. Bronner's, then made my coffee.