Memorial Day planting

Dad came up Sunday to harrow the Eliot Garden. After nearly a week of rain, the soil finally dried out enough. He made numerous passes, setting all the rows, then we let the soil warm up in the hot sun.

We planted 5 varieties of potatoes, 5 varieties of winter squash, and 2 melons. Now, if we can just keep the deer out, we may have an awesome harvest!

I got another driving lesson--starting, and getting all the way into fifth gear. I even managed to put it in reverse--all without hitting anything. Good thing it's a large field.

Callie spent her time lying in the shade, slurping water, and panting--but have a great time none the less.

Big Bertha Moves

Dad came up for the Eliot Antique Tractor Show on Saturday. But before he signed in and parked the '55 Ford Jubilee, he put it through its paces. Dad twitched three chunks of Big Bertha up the driveway so when we cut the remaining wood, it will already be in place for stacking. That last chunk, about 4 feet high, had the tractor wheels spinning on the damp drive, but he got it up there! (Oh, and the damn kayak--that's John's project that is going to go away soon, before I call 1-800-got-junk! Maine Yard Disease is spreading.)

Sunny At Last

After nearly three weeks of solid rain, the sun finally returned for good on July 5th. We enjoyed an entire day of breezy sunny skies. I aired out the house, caught up on accumulating laundry in the cellar, and reseeded the slug-devastated lettuce bed. John and I spent a few hours at the Cabin Garden hoeing the corn and squash, thinning beets, and pruning/staking the tomatoes. It looks like me might see some fruit from our labors in the near future--the tomatoes are forming!

While the wind whipped through the laundry, I mowed the backyard, regaining the upper hand on the soon-to-be hayfield. John made some headway with the chain saw on Big Bertha, lopping off another few feet. We will need to get that tree moved by winter or the highway department will be after me!

Here I am, on my second tractor lesson, tilling the new Cabin Garden this spring.