Having this second job is making gardening a little tricky lately. I started out the planting season with 4 days off every week and plenty of beautiful weather, now I have one full day off per week and alternating rainy days with hot and humid. Add to that equation two children and one adult with a summer cold, and I've been burning the candle at both ends, physically and mentally.

So, I've had to up my game. I know the boys have been missing me with this change in routine. We've always had time in the morning together even on the days I worked at my main job, usually an hour or two. Now I leave before they wake up three days every week. So I've been taking time to write them a note every day that they all read together when they wake up, and pack them a special lunch that they look forward to.

As soon as I get home usually, we all go for an evening walk around the property. They often just find the nearest stick and proceed to wave them about cautiously, until the "Thing-that-makes-little-boys-do-things-they-know-they-shouldn't" rears its head and I catch pointy projectiles sailing across the yard out of the corner of my eye, or I hear the familiar minor yelp of pain which quickly turns into a heated whispered discussion of whether or not I'M GONNA TELL MOM. I manage to get a few weeds pulled while I try to discern whether something I didn't even see was an accident or an "accident"(complete with wide eyes and small voices primed with the fear of losing games). Or one of my favorites, seeing the sticks in batting position while they glare at the large green plums hanging off the lower branches.

All too quickly, the evening fades into baths and stories and goodnight songs. Then, if it's nice, I go out for another few minutes and enjoy the garden - in peace this time around. Or lately, I get met at the door by a few wee shining faces, turn around to grab some cat food and milk, and spend the time sitting in the rocks looking at one of nature's finest creations: the Kitten.

But one day they'll be charming and strange and soft and sometimes annoying like all the rest:

Yes, he defies gravity even in sleep.

Miscellaneous

For anyone that has cherry trees, you will understand how ecstatic we are to have gotten a good crop of cherries picked before the birds got to them. Next step is to google "cherry pie recipes".

I was hoping that the outside cats would hold off until fall for their first litter to give me time to save the money to spay both of them. Now I'm hoping to get the other one done before she brings us similar presents, cute though they are. The grey and white one is spoken for and the other two are females looking for a home. In a couple more weeks, of course.

And one final shot of the new grass before the walking ban gets lifted and it starts to look ragged like the rest of the yard. It sure is a beautiful shade of green right now though!

Mothers Day 2010

The boys thought I was just saying it, but it really was the best Mother's Day I've ever had.

I woke up early and spent from 5:30 to 6:30 watching the beginnings of the sunrise. Living near a well traveled road, it is one of the rare moments when you don't have the constant sound of traffic drowning out the day. And yesterday was in the running for one of the most beautiful days of the year so far. The birds were singing all kinds of songs, the crows were anxious and loud as usual...woodpeckers chattered throughout the forest to each other.

After morning hugs and breakfast, I got my work clothes on and headed out, hoe in hand, to start weeding. The boys would pop in here and there and help me carry little buckets of weeds to the woods for dumping, or 'help' me with the hard parts at times (aka steal my equipment and hack at the ground excitedly making holes). Brent helped me pick out some perfect sticks to put in around the peas as the new batch grows taller and more feeble.

I'm amazed to see the overnight growth of some of these plants. Or hourly growth, in some cases. I've left the garden for a couple hours and returned to find seeds that had barely broken ground now risen with leaves. The small tendrils of the pea vines can wrap around well placed stick in just a few hours as well, sometimes less.

Mike fulfilled his promise to take care of all the meals and chores, so I stayed out all day. The day was a little cool, but in the sun with plentiful breezes, it was beyond perfect. San Diego weather, so I hear. ;-)

Just before dinner, I gathered some fresh lettuce and spinach from the garden and we enjoyed the most wonderful meal together. I had to fight Brent for my share of the lettuce, but I managed to have enough for a steak salad. And I had to fight no one for my fresh buttered spinach.

And the best mother's day gift of all - this week both Brent and Alex read to me from a second level reader book we've been working on. Alex has been strong in this area, but Brent has obviously been hiding it from me up until now. And since then, he has read it to me every night, on his own. Another one of those big milestones that it seems you'll never reach, and then it flies past you with a quick smile.

Another big step recently - both the boys can manage going "number 2" almost entirely on their own. Oh, they've had the major parts down pat for awhile, minus the cleaning. Brent still protests and wants me to do it for him. So I explained it as nicely as I could. "Brent," I said sweetly "I've been wiping your little bum for 5 1/2 years now. And I think in my parenting manual it said I only had to perform this function while you were unable to do it on your own. I KNOW I read that somewhere."

He didn't seem convinced, but gave in anyways. And I fight the urge to keep babying him, because the hardest part of being a mom (for me anyways) is having to remind myself that I'm here to guide him, teach him, and keep him safe. I'd like to be his whole world forever - to save him from any hardships or pain, to be the person he runs to for anything he needs. And I still am - I know he's only 5. But his independence is important to me, as much as I dread it's completion one day.

(Inside memo to KAD - skip over the sappy part - I'm allowed a little sap on mother's day, right?)

So pleasantly sore from all the gardening, and slightly more tan than before, the best day of the year ended with 'watching' Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakquel. I assured Brent that I could see it just fine through my eyelids. I got that from my dad. It's a gift. :)

Computer Oriented

Standing with his hands on his hips, staring at the mass of blankets and cushions on the floor, Brent exclaimed:

"Mom! The cats deleted my fort again!!!"

Cool little funnel spider posing for me

Sprouting moss

Alex's first strawberry!

The grapes, under attack already.

Trying my hand at an eggplant this year

The beans are on the rise