Memories: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

This week's Backyard photo, taken by Lindsay is of one of our apple trees, in front of the building we discovered shortly after moving in to our home.


When we first moved in here, the whole front and side yards were covered in blackberry and ivy vines. In order to maneuver through the yard we would travel through "tunnels", that led under and through the vines. There was a tunnel that led by the side of the house, which then forked, one going along the front of the house, and one leading down towards the front edge of our property. The only place that wasn't covered in probably 18 years worth of growth was the large parking area, where, along with the shop, the former tenant had enjoyed his woodworking pursuits.


One of the first things we purchased after acquiring our new home was a bushwhacker, which has paid for itself many times over. After maybe a week of whacking Daniel found, maybe 30 feet from our front door, and perhaps 5 feet from the side shop door, a building. Said building is roughly 10' by 20', and we had all walked by it numerous times, most every day, with no idea it existed. It was completely covered, with very large, thick ivy vines. One day this building will cease to exist, resulting in a larger yard and play area for the kids. In the meantime, it serves as a humorous reminder of the former state of our property, and how far we've come in our attempts to turn the jungle into a family friendly yard.


We had a wonderful, although way to brief visit with my Mother-in -Law, and Sister-in-in-Law on Wednesday. We visited the Aquarium in Newport, viewing some very interesting sea life in the changing exhibit. Grandma bought the kids eacha new stuffed critter from the gift shop. Lindsay chose a Nurse Shark, which she named Nellie, while Nathan chose a most creative name for his new Orca, "Keiko". Afterwards, we had planned to go to dinner together, but they had to leave early, as Sister in Law needed to return to work early the next morning. We spent the night at a Motel, ordering pizza, which we consumed in the comfort of our room, while taking a trip down memory lane with the kids. In spite of the black and white viewing, the kids became completely immersed in "Leave It To Beaver", "Mayberry, RFD", and "The Beverly Hillbillies". They enjoyed these old Ma and Pa favorites so much that they have requested we search for DVDs of them for future Saturday night viewing. Speaking of...


Saturday Night at The Movies


This weeks special event featured a 1969 movie, My Side Of The Mountain. The kids both enjoyed it, although Nathan was a bit disappointed that it "wasn't anything like the book." I attempted to go about my business, but was quickly drawn in, standing back, watching for "just a minute", which turned into several minutes, then half an hour, until Daniel suggested perhaps I ought to give up, sit down and just watch it. I hesitated but a moment before realizing that was probably a good idea. Although there were a couple brief scenes where the movie did not reflect true life in the wild, we found it to be an entertaining film, with some great scenery that the whole family could enjoy.


Ma and Pa's choice for after hours viewing was, Chocolat . For some reason I had put off ordering this film for quite some time, until I noticed a favorite actress of mine was in it. Judi Dench was, of course, marvelous in this film, as was everyone else. Excellent casting, including Johnny Depp.

Gardening


Prior to leaving for Newport Wednesday morning, I covered my potatoes in the bags. Upon returning, early Thursday afternoon, I was surprised to see the Green leafy tops reaching out, soaking in the suns ray once again. We needed to get unpacked, and get ready for our weekly trip to town, so waited 'til Friday morning to cover them up again. I really covered them up good this time, and was even more surprised when I checked on them again, Saturday morning, discovering them stretching their necks out once again. One bag is nearing it's maximum fill. I'll probably only be able to cover it twice more before allowing it to do it's thing. I gotta admit, I'm rather looking forward to that point, as I do find the potato plant to be quite lovely. I also noticed we have green onions and carrots sprouting around the tomato plants, and several blooms on one of the tomato plants. The zucchini, acorn squash, and cantaloupe have all emerged from the soil as well.


Yesterday, we got the fence put up around Nathan and Lindsay's garden area. Today, they will be busy planting all their later season choices while I busy myself with weeding my gardens. It's beginning to look like we can anticipate a busy harvest time come Autumn!