Gardening with the kiddoes

Today has been gorgeous.  True fall weather after some pretty significant heat.  What better day to dig potatoes?  I have already dug the bed with the All Blues and Yukon Golds.  Today was the day for the Kennebecs. 

It started out with just me digging.  Then the kids realized that they got to play in the dirt.  It became a contest to see who could get the bigger potato.  Some were huge, with a few at the bottom over a pound each.  I ended up with about 50 lbs from the 5 lbs that I started with.  Those potatoes sure seemed to like the chicken manure they got.  I still have to dig the Rio Grande russets, but they'll have to wait a bit.  We're due to get rain this week and I just don't think I can dig anymore today.

When the kids got tired of digging, they started searching for worms, grubs and bugs.  It became a game of naming them and then feeding them to the chickens.  The chickens were very appreciative.  They got moved into the garden a few days ago and have been happily weeding, turning the soil and fertilizing for me. 

After the potatoes were dug we moved on to the tomatoes.   J's son N started eating them like an apple.  When we got to the peppers, they were all excited.  D, from up the street said, "I love jalapenos" and proceeded to eat one right in the garden.  N, Morgan and Noah decided that sounded like a great idea and did the same.  Many glasses of milk later, they decided that it was probably not the best idea.

They were all thoroughly exhausted and napping on the patio.    I think I may go do the same thing.  Enjoy this wonderful weather!

After the deluge

This is what my tomatoes look like after 4 days of pouring rain. 

When I picked corn, I found this.  The poor pollination makes it look like it has some kind of disease.  Random kernels look rather silly.

Then I found this smart aleck grinning at me.  He's kind of cute, so I'll let him stay.  At least until lunch.

Fun with paint

We are the house that the kids play at.  I really like that.  Its nice to see what they're doing.  Its nice to let the kids have some freedom to create and use their imaginations. 

The neighborhood kids like coming to my house even though I almost never let them play video games (we have a Wii), or watch TV.  They are free to climb, run, bike, make forts and just play.  I'm not very picky about my yard.  In back of the play house they have dug an enormous hole in the hill.  I only stopped them when I worried about the playhouse falling down the hill.

This wonderful playhouse was built by the previous owners.  The gentleman did lots of carpentry, including building the addition that now houses my schoolroom/office.  When we bought the house, they asked if we wanted it to stay or be torn down.  We looked at them as if they were crazy.  Noah was 20 months old at the time and we were thrilled that it was there.  As soon as we moved in we bought swings for it and Hubby built the slide onto the side.  It is getting a bit rickety over time, but we keep fixing the broken steps as they need it. 

Over the weekend the kids decided they would like to paint it.  They got out the paintbrushes and tempera paint and went to work.  Its washable paint and as I type this its raining.  The paint seems to be holding up well so far.  I love how they personalized it and had so much pride in their work.  If the paint washes off, it will be a great project for them another day.