Tomatoes, lettuce, peppers and green beans. And lots and lots of baby elms…sigh

A couple of weeks ago I picked all of my peas – this years harvest totaled two quarts of shelled peas. They were delicious. Not near enough to freeze, as I had hoped, but still super delicious and fun to grow. I’ve got 4 tomato plants waiting to plant and I should get a few more things in the ground, I’ve just been really busy. Being a member of the community garden is nice because I don’t have to rely on my little plot to keep us in veggies for the summer/canning.

I also have some perennial herbs along the side of the yard, lavendar, sage, oregano, rosemary and mint. They are all doing well and I plan to just let them take over that area. mmm.

We’ve had weeks of rain (which is so strange for us here in the desert) and my garden is finally going gangbusters! Even though I planted early, we had a late start – I think because we’ve had so many late freezes. Here are pictures of my peas going crazy. There’s lettuce too that’s finally starting to come on, three broccoli plants and some dill that’s coming up from last year. I also threw in a couple of tomato plants and will plant several more after the peas are harvested. I’m so excited to fill my freezer with peas! I planted peas in the pod and sugar snap peas.

(click to see notes)

My original plan had been to cover the garden with a tarp while my neighbor’s elm trees dropped their seeds, but because of the peas I was unable to, so I’ll be pulling elm sprouts for the rest of my life. Honor, thankfully, thinks this is a really fun job.

The yard has a long way to go this year, but I have a whole plan mapped out… it need only be funded and executed. In the meantime I’ll enjoy my pergola covered patio that I filled with pretty flower pots.

I’m also a member of the Main Street Community garden, so I plant to have copious amounts of organic veggies. I’ll try to take some pics (with my new, pretty, white iphone4) soon so we can watch that progress too.

I planted my spring garden yesterday: peas, broccoli and lettuce. There is something so significant in my life about this new season of spring creeping in. My tiger lilies are poking their fingers out of the the ground; green, hopeful spikes coming new into the world. All around me things are being made new.

There is so much grief and loss to sift through. So much to watch the children sift through in their fresh and innocent views. I think all of us are having a hard time wrapping our heads around the WHY of things. But as we do, I feel change creeping in. Real, solid change. It’s desperately needed and coming in the most perfect timing.

So much of me wants to rush ahead to happy, peaceful times that I know are coming. But I know how significant this process is for me, for the children. I know how important it is to embrace where I am right at this very moment. I know how important it is to feel every single feeling and process them completely. Because I know that once I reach the end of this, the world will never again be how it is right now. And I will be completely new in every way.

That makes all of this worth it.