This is my floral happiness for the day. I love the internet, so many places to find amazing ideas. I spent today on the usual, laundry, dishes, and then to the gardens. Much tending to do in the greenhouse, moss to water, plants to water and weed, potting up hostas, and sweeping up in bay 7, there was soil everywhere. Off to Soil Science, listened to presentations, did an experiment. Came home to discover that Eileen was coming over. Woohooo! I miss that girl. I created an amazing salad and broiled asparagus. That was my day, crazy but wonderful.

Unbirthday girl....

So do you have a summer birthday? Well, my Sydney and Kate, both celebrate the days of their birth in July. This leads to a grade school problem. No "party" with the class. Hence the celebration of her Unbirthday. I am not organized enough to do a half birthday or anything that requires pinning me down to a specific day sooooo... I let her pick her unbirthday. Sydney wanted to celebrate the day after Spring started. Much to her dismay Monday and Tuesday were already full of birthday happiness. Hence today was her unbirthday. She also wanted to make cup cakes so her friend Beth could eat one. Beth who is allergic to peanuts doesn't get to have a lot of the treats at school. I was amazed that Syd thought the entire process through and cared.
This mom, after Tuesday night Soil Science discovered that I was tired. That meant no to homemade cupcakes with a rainbow of frosting choices. Yes, to store bought happiness. Sydney had a melt down, quite common around here. After I calmed her down and promised future cup cake baking. I realized she was more worried about Beth not getting a cup cake than making them herself. This is the peanut free solution....
How fun!!! Rainbow colored, same price as a sheet cake, cup cakes and NO peanuts. We took it. Plus a few more with rings to share with her garden friends, her dad and sisters. Diplomatically Sydney let Paige choose. Really, who is this girl in my six year old's body?
Finally, I got to play in the AAS gardens today. This is one of two places I worked on the most last summer. The tin man is a kid pleasing favorite. He now has a beautiful carpet of pansies to stand in and a new face under construction for spring. Thanks to Elder Page and Wozniak for helping, Miss Mary for being the cart organizing/cleaning and heading the planting crew. I came back after dropping Syd off for school to finish up after them. Paige and I picked up a lot of sticks... apple trees being pruned tend to create a lot of debris. Then took them to the compost pile.
After arriving home, I became side tracked by my garden outside the back door. I know that I want my lettuces and other early plants up by the house this year. This avoids the whole flood plain situation I have going on in the way back yard. I sketched a couple of things and then went out and created this. No, it's not done. My roses are all moved into place and the chives/onion border is underway. The girls thought this was a fun pattern. My goal is to keep the small fluffy tailed wild life out of the center squares. A small hedge of onions/chives might help. Kind of like surrounding dessert with sardines. I'm excited to give each girl a square to plant their own four choices in. This is a square foot gardeningish idea although true square foot gardens are in raised beds. I'll document progress, but thought I'd share the sketch for future comparisons. This was a good day.

Circus?

These little ones are best friends. Addie and Paige, always hugging and snuggling together to watch TV. We borrowed Addie for today and our adventure to the gardens.

Dress up with the girls and Bella....
Bella eventually ran away, smart dog that one.

When we arrived at the gardens we were excited to have Debbie and Zach come to play with us. We gave them a tour of the greenhouse and explained the basics of how things work at the gardens. That is when Mr. Matt, Staci and Sophia, and Seana arrived. Right in a row like it was planned. Paige and Addie couldn't contain their excitement. This excitement translates into much running up and down and around everyone and everything. I saw Paige hop on a bag of Soil for the first time in months. Which is against every rule she's been given. WHOA!!! Had to reign that one in right quick. We were all off to the other side of the garden to plant Kale and Pansies. Remember, you can't just planting most plants outside until after frost. Now, is the time for pansies and cold weather crops, kale, cabbage, lettuce, peas, radishes, beets, greens, spinach to name a few. So you can see above the hard work being accomplished by all. Seana even got to plant a few pansies.
Paige and Sophia "found" a flower. They uncovered two crocus by running past and knocking the leaves off. This one made it...the other was loved on a little too much by my girl.
Zach is great at gardening. He even got to ride in the go cart. He was feeling pretty cool. That boy and his amazing mom planted a lot of kale and pansies. Stop by the conference center at TBG to see everyone's hard work. Trust me by next week they will look so much fuller. I'll have to document the progress.
Here is the circus....Seana, Addie, Sophia, Paige all on a go cart. Pulled by an Assitance Dog we all love named Rosie. Okay, she wasn't pulling but she was having a great time.
This is the "hill" by the conference center. The bridge, which is very fun for smallish people to run under, was the hit attraction of the day. Between the drain off to the the left in this photo and the rocks under the bridge what more could the girls ask for?
The most hilarious part of the day, to me was the lack of water available. A garden needs to be watered when planted. But we're in northern Ohio and it's still March. Every line has been blown out for winter to prevent freezing. We all know that it will freeze plenty more before May, so no hoses for us. This meant a golf cart to haul water in a garbage can over to the newly settled plants.

Water + Golf Cart + a couple hundred yards of driving + Buckets = HILARITY
Volunteering at the gardens always provides a new story for the day.

Paige came out from under the bridge

after I called for her many, many times.
With this...

That's my girl.