It Is Good to Garden

I know, I know. I said I'd post an update about my Bell's Palsy this week. Give me another day on that since I have an appointment with Dr. K tomorrow. I don't have a lot to report...and what there is to report isn't very exciting, but at least I'll have the official version if we give it 24 more hours.

Meanwhile...

Thought you'd like to see a picture of the fruits of our labors. Granted, most all of the labor took place 3 months ago...and the "fruits" are the results of mostly benign neglect in our protracted absence, but it's still amazing that anything survived, don't you think?

Anyway...

We spent time in the Way Back this weekend, both at work and at play. Coffee and bagels in The Rose Garden was such a treat...and could have kept us completely satisfied, except we knew the At Play time was over and the At Work time upon us.

Mr. T tilled up the Cool Season garden area, along with the corn patch, in the heat on Saturday, while I tended the big pot of Shrimp Gumbo, made from the Harvest of okra, tomatoes, peppers, and onions...in the relative cool of the kitchen. And, this morning, I planted 4 kinds of lettuces (Black-seeded Simpson, Red Sails, Bibb, and Green Ice), leaf spinach, beets, and carrots. I would have done collards and turnip greens, but I ran out of energy about the same time I discovered I didn't have any seeds for the Seven Top Turnips (which are only grown for the greens). I'll head to the garden center tomorrow after I see Dr. K, as I need to get onions, too. I hope I can still find some cabbage and broccoli transplants, too...although I've missed the plant-by dates for Fall for them, I'm afraid.

So what's the rush, you ask? We are trying to play catch up with our chores...and get ahead of any rain we may receive, courtesy of Hurricane Isaac's churnings in the Gulf.

And, I am trying to find my way back to Normal. I talked with Bro. J on Saturday, from my perch in the swing, watching Mr. T wrangle the tiller (thank goodness for cell phones!), and he was wondering if I had managed to do much gardening since returning home. And, Bro. T (who just celebrated a birthday last weekend) called to check in...and ask basically the same question. They both know me too well!

Getting back in the garden is a good thing for me...and my soul. Even if I haven't made it back to Normal yet, I have made it back into our little Paradise. And that is so very good!