I think Spring is my favorite season of the year. I love how everything starts anew, especially the promise of a newly planted garden. Come mid-summer, when I spend hours on end processing all that fresh produce, I may question why I felt that wonderful anticipation, but when our garden has stopped growing I will happily harvest the fruits of our labor straight from the freezer.
A few years ago, Michael built a raised bed out of landscape blocks for our tomatoes. Inspite of all the benefits, the one drawback to a raised bed is that it sometimes drains too well.  We have tried many watering methods, including soaker hoses, but I have yet to find any way that is truly efficient.  This year we are borrowing an idea from an older man we know who is a very successful gardener.  George uses perforated PVC piping buried at an angle under each tomato plant to deliver water right to the roots.  I am eagerly anticipating that this may be the best way yet.  After the days get a little warmer and I  add a planting of pink eyed peas to the bed, I’ll have to top-water those, but pink eyes are more drought tollerant and don’t require as much water.

Along with gardening time, it’s baseball season, and that complicates my menu planning. Some of Kelton’s game are at 5:15 or 7:15 on weeknights. That’s right in the middle of our dinnertime. I have a hard time getting dinner ready any earlier than that, so I guess quick and easy is best. I need to work on simplifying our meals. Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Quiche was good on Meatless Monday when I had some time to cook, and  the quiche made planned leftovers for Wednesday’s game night. Planning is what it’s all about!
Be thankful for what life gives you.