Tuesday, March 20, 2012

olive in the garden.

Olive enjoyed her first garden experience a couple of days ago. Last year she was with me in our ring sling and in her rocker while I packed CSA shares for our local urban CSA and witnessed our own backyard garden grow and erupt in a volcano of tomatoes - but she wasn't really actively involved in either of those things. Save for sucking on a carrot or a fresh green at the CSA.

We've been blessed with unseasonably amazing weather in Minnesota lately (I think it's a ploy by the state to try to keep us here. Not working, but it's nice.) so it's been time to get to work on the yard and garden. I can't commit too much time to either of these things as we have a lot of work to do inside our house before the county does some lead abatement and when they're done we have to get to work on the outside of the house. It's a deal... they do some stuff if we do some stuff. So I'm trying to be speedy with the garden and multitask as usual (which probably makes me mess up more or do things slower in the long run.. but I have some serious multitasking tendencies that I just can't shake).

Last year I spread some compost as well as a billion unused tomatoes over the garden plot and covered it with the leaves and grass clippings from the last time I mowed the lawn after tilling. This year I'm working a little at a time to till the leaves and break up the soil. My dad brought his rototiller up for us to use but I've heard numerous times that they kill the worms and good stuff. So I'm doing it by hand which really isn't all too terrible (though a little more challenging with a baby strapped to my back).

I got about a row into tilling when Olive decided to jump in to help. :)

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As always she just jumped right in. Olive doesn't seem to show much hesitation for things that I would expect her to. She's usually pretty interested in new people and new food. She was all about a mechanical noise making Elmo doll at the store the other day - her first experience with a toy of that kind. And in the garden she was like "hey dirt!!!" when I would have anticipated a little reservation. And seriously.. the Elmo toy? LOVED it - no hesitation, no fear.

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At about this time I said "ummmm maybe you should take a bath."

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And another vintage dress with legwarmers followed that. :)

3 comments:

  1. haha these are so cute! I want to go play in the mud like a little tot now!

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  2. Adorable and it is so good for kids to play in dirt!!

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  3. Oh my goodness, those photos are priceless. How sweet to see her playing in the dirt in her pretty dress! And the bare bottom makes it even more perfect. I can't wait until we have warm weather. I'm ready to start planting, and we have quite a bit of time before that will be possible!

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