Post-School Whirlwind of Activity

This first week since school is over for the year has rivaled every week previous, in terms of activity.   I really love having time, though, to focus some of my energies on projects at home instead of having to look at them and then turn away because of other pressing duties away from home.

On Wednesday evening of this past week our small group from church met here to work on various projects we were behind on--all of them outside the house.  I still can't quite believe what all that busy bunch of people got done.  Obviously I didn't see who all did what, since Hiromi was working most of the time with a group of men and boys in a different place than where I was.

Rosa and Emily and Hannah and maybe others gave the new seedhouse two coats of exterior paint, all while Betty and Linda were busy inside transplanting many seedlings into bigger pots.

Titus and probably others spread straw mulch in the garden, and Jo saw to it that the weeds were gone before the mulch was spread.

Oren and Jonas and Lowell and others dug post holes in soil that turned really hard and dry about eight inches down, and set trellis posts for the grapevines I'm putting there.  Jordan and Joseph must have been helping with that too.  Three grapevines are planted now, and three more are still future.  Marvin planted two shrubs I had purchased and had not planted yet.

Jewel, Crystal, Christy, and Angela? weeded the landscape beds out front.  Stephan and Judy erected and placed a simple farmer-style trellis appropriately for the Sweet Autumn Clematis to cling to.

Stephan pruned the remnants of the apple tree to facilitate its rehabilitation.

Judy gave the patio a good cleaning, and carted off to the compost the leaves and grass clippings that had settled into the corners.

Judy and I improvised with hanging the wren house, and we picked out a spot for the bluebird house.

Two piles of stuff that had been moved here from the farm and then left in random places outside got moved out of sight, mostly by a bunch of girls--and Sheri, who discovered a small snake entangled in the pile of netting she picked up to move.  Titus finished moving it and Hiromi carted the snake off to the tree row.

All the annoying sprouts around the base of the maple tree got pruned off.

A trailer load of scrap metal got loaded, and the old David Bradley garden tractor and the Maytag conventional washer got posted on Craigslist and have now been sold.  Titus and Lowell, who both do some auctioneer work, rescued those two items from the scrap collection, and Hiromi and they made a quick plan that if Titus advertised it, he could have half the money from the sale.  This "rescue" does my frugal heart good.

After the work was done, we gathered around the fire ring that Crist had assembled for us in the back yard and had a delicious meal together, brought in by the workers.  It was a very quiet evening--our place at its best.  A coyote that was very close, serenaded us.  It was a chilly evening, and the fire felt good.

I'm still smiling at all the good memories made that night.  These people's willingness to do whatever was needed was a great blessing and we are deeply grateful.

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Someone left a pair of brown jersey work gloves behind.  We'd be glad to return them to their owner if we find out who they belong to.

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On Thursday, the day after the work night, I went to a plant swap at the Paul H. residence, and came home with many treasures.  I even got back a plant that I had donated at a previous plant swap and lost since.  I also feasted my eyes on the landscape that was only a field not so long ago, and now features an orchard and garden, many flower beds,  young trees, beautiful grass, and a spring-fed pond.

The children led me to an outbuilding to see the new kittens.  Housed in the same building were young ducks and geese.  When they get a little bigger, they'll move to a pen beside the pond.

After that, I saw the playhouse, and the refrigerator and cookstove made by Grandpa (William H.)--both amazingly realistic-looking for wood construction.  All the walls were painted a different bright color--just right for a child's play space.

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That evening I went to a work night for the trustees at the church, although Hiromi is not a trustee.  The project was working on the landscape, and I was offered a labor exchange that appealed to me.  I helped on the landscape, and I get to skip one turn at church cleaning.

I also prepared a meal for my parents that night.

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On Friday morning we had our year-end staff meeting at school.  It was a good wrap-up time, and we did some preliminary planning for next year.

Later that evening, I prepared 17 bags of lettuce for Farmer's Market, after our daughter-in-law, Clarissa, offered to sell it for us, along with her baked products.

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On Saturday morning Hiromi suggested that we go to Farmer's Market as shoppers, so we did.  Nearly all the lettuce had sold by the time we got there after 9:00, and the last bag sold before we left.

I got the rooted grape vines I was looking for, and a few other choice items.  Roman had cucumbers, which he had started in his greenhouse.  He had already sold all of the 100 pounds of asparagus he had brought.

It was the first market day of the season.

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Finally, on Saturday afternoon, I got started on the planting that my fingers have been itching to do for many weeks.

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Today was a leisurely day.  I really hope it wasn't my Sunday to cook for Dads and I forgot.  I'll have to go look at the calendar to check out that possibility.

The week ahead looks blessedly free of obligations away from home.