Our Garden Plot

Sylvia(at the time we had only seen her and didn't know her name)

at church one Sunday walked up to us and said

How would you and your family like to garden my plot

while I am in Maine for the summer?

Okay..........Sure.

It's about a quarter of an acre.

Okay.........Sure! (with a little more excitement this time)

This is a dream come true.

And the girls and I had just been trying to figure a

way the night before how we could grow a garden

in a rental that had wall to wall grass somehow. 

We resorted to thinking that we would only

be able to use a couple pots and call it a day.

Sylvia had other plans! Boy did she.

 We worked a deal that we could put a garden in and we would irrigate her trees and pasture while she was away, as well as house sit until her summer renters arrive from Texas.

She is a really neat lady. Real easy to get to know.

Word has gotton around church quickly because people have been coming up to us saying

I hear you're putting in a garden.......

 It took us two hours to lay all the irrigation pipe and learn how to route the

 water in the canal to her house.

I had to laugh because she just talked to us like we had done it before.

 The boys carried all the pipes and layed them out for us to connect them.

 The last time we were at her house, there were about 20 mule deer laying in the pasture next to her fence just hanging out like they owned the place.

 Victoria was our official gooper. 

She said the goop looked like peanut butter so we were calling her

peanut butter girl, time to goop.

She did a really good job.  After the first time we didn't have to watch her.

She coated the rubber seals really well.

 I love to see my boys work hard. 

It was a beautiful day, with crisp Spring air.

Nice, clean and fresh.

Victoria was looking like a little Farm Girl.

She never complained and jumped in every chance she got.

She squeezed in front of Jared to grab this wheel barrel

before he could even get his hands on it.

 After we layed all the irrigation pipes and learned where to channel the water off the canal which was up the street, Sylvia showed us how to use her tiller to plow grooves in the soil.

Now, we have only done a square foot garden that struggled in the heat of Phoenix.

And now we are going to garden this??

This is almost cheating :)

But totally cool!  The kids loved it.

Well, maybe not Daphne. She doesn't like anything with a motor.

The highlight of the day.
Jared got to drive the lawn mower.

It is amazing how a 16 year old can find great satisfaction out of driving a lawn mower.

Sylvia had Jared get on, gave him instructions and then said....

Go for it.....

Jared is going to share the job with another teen that we know from church.

He mowed with confidence.

He wanted me to call my Mom when we went to leave to tell her that he drove a lawnmower.

Come to find out it is on my Dad's bucket list...to drive a lawnmower.

Well, Poppa's just going to have to come up for a visit!

 Sylvia's trees that we will be watering?

Kaleb's favorite!

Apples!

We went home tired, sore, dirty, very satisfied,

and lots of thoughts on planning out our garden for the summer!

God is so good to us!