A West Virginia Garden

Apr
7

You know you’re in West Virginia if you’re gardening sideways.





We like unpaved roads with steep drop-offs, no guard rails, hairpin curves, and all other things that are difficult, too. If anyone can garden on a slant, we can.

Well, okay, sometimes I just garden on a slant in a secondary role. At least, you know, when the hard part is going on. Like that digging stuff. But look! I am like Vanna White turning over letters. I hand over the stakes and tell 52 what a great job he’s doing. “You look so cute when you’re hammering, honey.”





And look at me and my farmgirl boots standing on the wire. I’m a good helper.





This is the fruit section. We planted three thornless (THORNLESS!) blackberry bushes and a self-pollinating blueberry bush to join last weekend’s peach tree.





Grow little blackberry, grow. Look, do you see that cut on my hand? I bet Vanna never got a cut from turning over letters. She couldn’t handle this gardening on a slant thing. She’s not tough like me!!





We (using the term “we” loosely) staked out a 30-foot by 40-foot section in the yard near the house, overlooking the river, bordering the “fruit section” along the bank by the driveway, for the kitchen garden. I see asparagus, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.





And I see a dog at the end of the day in the shadows of pink sunset on my farm.





I live on a farm!

And I got a cut on my hand and everything, so I’m a real farmer now. Right? I think my farmgirl boots got a little muddy, too. Then I went inside and baked some bread because I am a multi-tasker.





All That Glitters Isn’t Gold Anymore

Mar
30

Finally, the Princess’s loft suite (she has a loft SUITE! if she wasn’t my daughter, I’d be so jealous–oh, wait, she is my daughter and I’m still jealous) is ready! She gets to sleep in her new room now! The last touch was preparing her new bed. Her “new” old bed. She’s going to be using a hand-me-down trundle bed.

Trouble was, the bed came with gold knobs. She doesn’t like gold. I can’t blame her–I don’t like gold, either. I bought a 99 cent can of “brushed nickel” spray paint and stared at the knobs for a few minutes… I couldn’t just hold them while they were drying. What to do?





A box! Stick the ends in a box!





It worked perfectly! And in no time I had “brushed nickel” knobs and was getting out her brand new horsey bedding and making up her room.





Isn’t this bed adorable? These are her new horsey sheets and pillow shams. Where is her comforter? I still don’t know.

Then, because it was Saturday and that means things have to get done that have been put off all week, we headed outside to plant the peach tree that we’ve been hiding since Bluebell discovered it and tried to make it into a toy. My cousin’s wife, Sheryl, came over to see the new house and watch the planting.





Bluebell was thrilled to see her. I said, “You miss Bluebell back at the old farmhouse, don’t you?” Sheryl said, “We haven’t had any trash dragged around the yard in weeks!”

Yes, you know they miss her desperately.

Bluebell was very excited when we made a HOLE.





Then we brought out the peach tree. (A self-pollinating peach tree–so there’s just the one.)

She got very serious.





And confused. And baffled. And downright discombobulated.





Why? WHY?





Why did we take her toy and BARRICADE it and that so lovely HOLE behind a fence? WHY?

Life is so unfair when you are a puppy.

And that was Saturday in the holler. You?



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