so i have gone heavy into the dirt this spring. i barely know what i am doing but have dabbled for years in tomatoes and zuchinni. but this year, i am going a little bit bigger. radish, broccoli, lettuce, yellow tomato, stripe tomato, cherry, blackberries, beets, carrots , onion, parsley, basil, etc etc.

yes, dirty fingernails and sore back are my new weekend friends as we pull weeds, dig, and prepare seed beds, and then take a break in the shade to drink some cold beer out of a thin metal can. i can already count the spinach i planted last weekend sprouting up in neat little rows--shooting up and crawling in slow motion towards the sun. what a magical journey to watch all this potential fruit and growth that sprouted from tiny seeds the size of ants. the whole process is a slow meditation on cycles and water and sunshine and shade. and of course, i have a new appreciation for certain vegetables i've never been crazy about, for instance, beets and beet greens. i've never once bought them in the store but here at home they find their way into many meals and are super tastey.

now i pour some beer into a dish to see if the old wives tale works enough to slow down or kill the ubiquitous snails who pirate these dirty spaces. i empty a jar of ladybugs into the broccoli crowns and lettuces and strawberries places. the aphids will cringe and be eaten mercilessly by these red winged ladyfriends. i build a string fence to keep the dog out. i sprinkle fertilizer on the lawn i water the orchids i pull the feldt grass tufts out and chuck em in the trash. deadhead the flowers prune the damn fruit trees ... just a little attention here and there will be all we need to keep this microcosm going and ensure that the summer and fall will bountiful. yes, its going to be a good and hearty harvest.