Gardening is something that I have always taken for granted in life... I figured you tilled, you plant then you pick... but last summer I realized that alot more work goes into the whole process and it is not necessarily an art, but a science...

I am blessed with a spacious garden, even if it is at my parent's house, and the benefit of Bob's (my step-father) years of experience.

He is getting older and still enjoys having a garden, but generally tires of it when it gets to be about 100 degrees and is mid-summer....  so we have a fairly good symbiotic relationship... he does alot of the heavy work while I do alot of the maintenence and picking.  I don't necessarily enjoy the aspect of putting up food and have not done well with it in the past, but I think that this year is going to require a different attitude.

My mother, who from here on out shall be referred to as Daisy, was never big on this either, but she does know how to prep foods for canning and freezing will hopefully help me....

Bob has given me a larger plot of his garden this year.  My area will have enough for about 8 rows and is 65 feet long... He has the bigger section down below, and he lets his older sister, Edna, who is in her 80's along with her husband Grady, who is in his mid-90's, have the bottom section...  These old timers get drive over in their Gator and will till one row and then sit and rest, and then till another and sit and rest... They've already been out some as has Bob...

Bob has already tilled up the area a couple of times and has just tilled under his winter garden of greens and broccoli.

He sat down with me and told me what would do best in which area and why today, and mentioned that I need to start planning how much I want of what....

My initial list is: radishes, red and yellow pototoes, sweet potatoes (to share with Bob), corn, peppers, tomatoes, squash (both yellow and zucchini), cucumbers and maybe some green beans... 

The Princess and Prince had fun also today... there are trees to climb and just fun stuff in general.

It was actually a nice, warm sunny day for a change from the dreariness we have had all week.

The bees were out and the camellia was in bloom...