Garden update

I'd intended to post a few times over the long weekend, but I was just too busy. I worked my butt off all weekend, but at least we accomplished a lot.

One of the main accomplishments was getting the garden almost completely filled in.

All we have let to plant is cucumbers, but they can't go in until it gets a little consistently warmer. The spinach is about to bolt, so I'll have to figure out what to put in its place. The cilantro is ready to bolt, too, from all the unseasonably hot days we've been having (though we've only put the air conditioning on today for the first time).

The tomatoes and and peppers, on the other hand, are quite happy.

I shouldn't have seen a pepper for at least another month, but this one seems good!

Jeff's trying potatoes again, though a different method this time. They also are doing very well, it seems.

And some bunny porn for Fiona:

The kale is doing very well. I thinned it out last night to get some of the plants to grow bigger before they bolt.

Our other big task of the weekend was putting up the new gazebo.

It's the Home Summer gazebo from Target. Very easy to put together and the perfect size for us. Since on the of reasons we don't use our backyard in the height of summer is the late afternoon sun and the evening bugs, this should help solve those problems. Kaylee's still having trouble figuring out where the openings are, but hopefully she'll understand that soon.

We also cleaned out the shed, power-washed the front porch and went to our niece Eve's third birthday party. And I started a new crochet project (more on that later).

I'm tired. I need a long weekend to recover from my long weekend.

Awwww...

Aren't we cute?

More pictures here.

We're back from Paris!

Oh wait. I mean Las Vegas. I got confused. :)

We had a great time. I've only got a few photos on my camera from the actual ceremony (thanks, S!), but I've got a roll of film to get developed and maybe even digitize the VHS tape they sent home with us. Plus, pretty much all of our guests had cameras, too. Here's a photo to tide you over until I get more for you.

Thanks to everyone who came!

Oh, Hey. Hi.

Sorry about the radio silence. I've been busy with the new job and unexpected home repairs (all taken care of now, thankfully).

Jeff & I are off to Las Vegas this weekend to renew our wedding vows - it'll be five years on May 25. I'll have pictures when I get back. Maybe video, if you're lucky. There'll be some Elvis. :)

If you feel like it, take a look at some of our wedding pictures. If you're really feeling like you have no life, you can even check out our secular wedding ceremony and our wedding program.

Herbs

"You say 'erbs', and we say 'herbs', because there's a fucking 'H' in it!"

Most of the herbs are out. The Italian parsley is waiting for me to decide where I want to plant it, and the basil is waiting for it to get a little warmer. But the fennel and chives (above) are quite happy.

I've got two types of cilantro this year, along with two types of mint. There is also dill and rosemary in the above photo, all doing quite well.

Thanks to everyone for their car suggestions. We probably won't be making a decision 'til next month (for several reasons), but we're leaning toward getting rid of The Folly and getting Jeff a beater car. We still haven't quite decided yet. We'll just have to see how things pan out. But I do appreciate the suggestions - they've helped a lot!

Yes, Fiona, kale!

I know I've made you wait, Fi, but here it is, in seedling form:

There are several different kinds there, and the stuff in front is lettuce.

Car troubles

Argh.

I took The Folly (my car) into the shop today, only to find out that it needs $4,000 worth of repairs (on top of the $475 from today). That's about what's left on my loan and about half of its trade-in value.

So, I may be in the market for another car, though I had really been looking forward to being without a car payment in a few months. I'm thinking used. Something with good gas mileage, what with the insane price of gas, and the fact that I now have to drive to work (the one bad thing about the job). And I'd really prefer to keep the price to $16,000 or under.

Anyone have any suggestions? Anyone love their car and think I ought to get one, used or not? Anyone have a stay-away-from story?

So far, my thoughts are a Saturn Ion or a Toyota Yaris. But I'm not married to either idea.

And yes, we have thought about the one car thing (or one car and a Vespa), and while it's not an impossible thing, Jeff doesn't like that idea. We're also considering trading in The Folly for a beater car for Jeff to drive (since he doesn't drive to work and his Saturn Ion is in pretty good shape so that could be my daily car; as Jeff just said, "I want to be able to bail out of work and go play golf, which I can't do if we just have one car.").

So, any ideas?

Gardening

Jeff and I spent several hours gardening this morning. I pulled up a whole bunch of wild onions, and there are still plenty more out there!

Our bleeding heart has really bounced back. This is what it looked like a couple weeks ago. Here's what it looks like today:

And our peonies are about to bloom. Normally, they don't bloom until the end of May/beginning of June, but these are going to be early. I always remember when they bloom, because our first year in the house, we were on our honeymoon and missed them.

The new job is going well. I like everyone I'm working with, and the work seems interesting.