A Time to Sow... or is that sew?

Pretty much my favorite thing in the whole wide world, aside from the people I love, is gardening. I got hooked on it when I was a kid, and was forever after converted when I planted my first Concord Grape vine in the back yard of our starter home. My favorite memories from childhood on up are lazy days spent watering and cultivating my gardens. I love it when it's sunny and you can feel the water evaporating out of the ground- when everything is still except for the breeze and the sound of big fat bumblebees buzzing about. I also get a total high from watching seedlings and little tiny seeds that I planted bring forth fruit in their season. I also love eating the food that I plant because it tastes better and because I use only organic fertilizers and pesticides, so I know it's better for my family.

I know it's only half way through February, but I'm already gearing up for this year's garden. My plan is to take out the three hideous bridal veil bushes I have in the back yard and replace them with an apple tree, a cherry tree, and a blackberry bush respectively. Last year I focused on flowers, but it takes the same ammount of time and water to grow flowers as it does food, and you can't really eat flowers.

On tap for this spring and summer are: radishes, peas, green beans and wax beans, chiles, onions, radishes, beets (I did eat all but one or two of the beets I accidentally on purpose planted last year), spinach, mixed salad greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, the fruit trees (which probably won't bring in fruit for a couple of years, but that's ok), and if I can fit them in somewhere- raspberries. I am actually planning on spending most of the month of June (after I get back from London), the entire month of July, and a good deal of August just wandering about in my back yard eating things while I weed. Mmm. Heaven.

Not making a return this year: corn and pumpkins. The corn sapped too much water and didn't yield enough food to be worth it, and the pumpkins basically ate my melons, and while they were very cute, did not actually provide me with anything edible. Are you noticing a trend here?

I spent some time today downloading the planting guide for my micro-climate and am highlighting away with glee. I am also planning some roses, peonies, and various bulb plants for the front yard (in addition to my Strawberry garden). It's going to be a good summer, I think.

As far as sewing fits in, I recently realized how much fun I have making clothes for Andrei. I sewed his Peter Pan costume for Halloween, as well as a coordinating Captain Hook costume, which won us a prize at my school's Halloween carnival. Since then, I've been dreaming up similar costumes that he can use for imaginative play with his friends. He really loves role playing games, and it's really good for his cognitive development. His friends are always a little hesitant at first, but once he shows them his impressive collection of costumes and props they warm up to it and then beg me to let them play longer when it's clean-up time. I think that's something kids, especially boys, don't get anymore in today's society- the chance to just imagine and play. We tend to just throw GameBoy's and PSP's at them and then shove them in a dark room so that they'll shut up and leave us alone. I think that's the worst thing we can be doing with our boys, so I always make sure to give Andrei manipulatives and imagination-based toys or problem-solving toys so he doesn't get too accustomed to just having images fed to him. He has a Ninja Turtle costume, Indiana Jones, Superman, Batman, Peter Pan and Captain Hook, plus other random costumes he makes up for himself out of his regular clothing.

Anyway, our most recent project is creating costumes so he can play Arabian Nights with his cousins/friends. First on the list is the Genie's costume.

When I was 12 we went to Disneyland and one of the big things back then was the Indiana Jones ride. All the gift shops were full of fake artifacts, including a very realistic oil lamp ala Aladdin. I, of course, had to have it. It makes a wonderful prop when we're playing pirates (along with Andrei's impressive collection of Pirate Booty), and has recently taken center stage in his Genie adventures. Here's some pictures: Andrei looks pretty nonplussed in the Genie costume because he hates having his picture taken. As soon as I snapped it, he jumped down and starting running around like a maniac. Please note the Genie's lamp in his right hand. Sweet, huh?

Next on our list is Aladdin, and then possibly Princess Jasmine. Right now I don't have any little girl costumes, but Andy's cousin Jenny likes to play dress-up, too, so I am thinking I need to start coming up with some costumes for her, like Tinkerbell and Jasmine. FUN!!!