The weather has been shitty in Salt Lake for the last three weekends, including Saturday this weekend, so that left us just Sunday to take care of business in the yard. Almost everything's done, except my mums, which are going crazy.
Simon and the kids spent the day digging me a new garden in the front yard. This isn't because I've been wanting a new garden, but because we can't get the lawn to grow there, no matter what. Well, it would grow there if we'd water the hell out of it, like the previous owners did. This is a desert, after all, so we're trying to phase in more drought resistant plants and cut back on watering. In fact, Simon wants to xeriscape the whole front yard, but I'm chicken. What if I can't make it look good and the neighbors have us arrested? This little drought resistant garden is my test patch.
The kids "helped" by rescuing worms. Every worm they overturned had to be relocated to a safer garden. "A safe and happy life for every worm, no matter how lowly." That was the original mission statement of the Worm Society. But, as often happens in well-meaning charity endeavors, they experienced what we call "mission creep". Soon, services expanded to include potato bugs. This then led to infighting on the Board of Directors regarding the direction these services should take. Those for preserving potato bugs (Sara, because they're cute) were at loggerheads with those declaring potato bugs bad for the plants (Nathan, who advocated euthanasia). The final straw was the further expansion of services in order to reach out to slugs. I uprooted and threw away the shriveled zucchini plants, revealing a big fat one; Nathan somehow saw it to be within the purview of the Worm Society to chop the slug in half with my trowel, screeching "Hi-YAH!". After the resulting gooey gore-fest, the Worm Society was disbanded in disgust, and Sara and I went inside to bake a pie instead.
The kids "helped" by rescuing worms. Every worm they overturned had to be relocated to a safer garden. "A safe and happy life for every worm, no matter how lowly." That was the original mission statement of the Worm Society. But, as often happens in well-meaning charity endeavors, they experienced what we call "mission creep". Soon, services expanded to include potato bugs. This then led to infighting on the Board of Directors regarding the direction these services should take. Those for preserving potato bugs (Sara, because they're cute) were at loggerheads with those declaring potato bugs bad for the plants (Nathan, who advocated euthanasia). The final straw was the further expansion of services in order to reach out to slugs. I uprooted and threw away the shriveled zucchini plants, revealing a big fat one; Nathan somehow saw it to be within the purview of the Worm Society to chop the slug in half with my trowel, screeching "Hi-YAH!". After the resulting gooey gore-fest, the Worm Society was disbanded in disgust, and Sara and I went inside to bake a pie instead.
This photo as taken in the early, happy days of the Worm Society, before the trouble began.
10 comments:
eeewwwww... that's my only comment
Sorry to hear the weather has been rubbish. Great to see what you have been up to, even if it did involve worms, and chopping them in half!
I think Simon's indigenous planting for the front yard is great. It's BS to be planting fescue/bluegrass mixes in a desert climate. This is a really good time to Google or Library search landscaping ideas. Even visiting a local landscaping contractor for advice....
John
Kate, I just have to say that I am a lurker on your blog and you are interesting and very funny! I loved this entry.
I think it is so smart to do indigenous planting.
I would love to send you some rain, it has been coming down like mad since Friday evening.
And...worms? I want to like them, I try to like them, but my first instinct is always to recoil.
Kate, I'm envious that you cleaned up your yard. I should have worked on mine yesterday, but was feeling quite lazy. I think I did that last year and it snowed early and I never got to clean up until spring. Oh, maybe that's not such a bad thing.
Regarding the worms....when I was about 10, my dad put a HUGE earthworm in my coat pocket. To this day, I am still traumatized by worms.
- Shirley
Remember, worms are our friends! Nice worms! Just cause they both eat and poop dirt doesn't mean that we can't learn to love each other...
It would help, though, if people wouldn't keep sticking them in our pockets.
Here guys, check this out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmtf7kX2AOI
John
Kate, do your kids have the book "Diary of a Worm"? It is by Doreen Cronin I believe, and is a really cool book which emphasizes in a funny way how important worms are.
A funny story related to that book...I was telling our Parents as Teachers educator about the book, and she misunderstood what I said. She thought I said, "Diarrhea of a Worm." I just died laughing. Wouldn't that be mud???
I certainly can 't be a member of the worm society because they damage my garden.I have to buy expensive pesticides to finish them off.
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