A host of golden daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils.

William Wordsworth

Sow True Seed, a open-pollinated/heirloom seed company (means you can replant harvested seeds without getting all cherry tomatoes) based in Asheville, NC told me (personally, via Facebook) that it is time to plant your peas when you see the first daffodils blooming.  Now that is a tip I can use.  I don't have to count backwards from the last frost date and multiply my birthday by my favorite color and divide by my college GPA.  Just look for those nodding, yellow bells.  That and the huge flock of robins I saw in my yard last week sent me running to the garden this weekend.

To be more accurate, I sent everyone else running to the garden while I sat on a yard quilt and dandled my sweet Ollie.  

Shovels were flying as my dad, mom and husband wondered aloud why we have to double dig.  The man and the hardware store used a tiller on his.  I threw out some heady garden-y words like tilth and permaculture but finally settled on it just being gentler.  We must be thankful for this earth we eat from and handle it as gently as we can.  When we are digging a quarter acre, we can reassess.  

What we planted today:

• Peas...54 seeds...54!  Annabel LOVES peas but will not eat them from the grocery store. *happy sigh*  I bought every variety.
• Beets
• Carrots...I am trying "Little Fingers" this year...'cuz duh!
• Broccoli (under the soda bottles to ward off frost...will let you know if this works)
• Chard...Rainbow (so excited)
• Lettuce

I know I have mentioned this, but I love this dirt.  

Fertile Soil

So I was at church all day (I mean from 9:30...well...9:40 until 8:50) and I was thinking about dirt. Apparently I do this a lot! My son is seven months old, and as we played in the church yard, I began to think about what rich soil he is sprouting in. He is constantly surrounded by children who love him and seek him out to play in loving and gentle ways. I am becoming so grateful to be a part of this church community that I do not know what I would do without it! As a mom to my tiny sprout I am hyper-aware of the richness of his environment and any weeds that might encroach on him. In this loving community, I feel that he is surrounded by loving arms and nutrient rich experiences. So on this second Sunday of Easter, I find myself reflecting on the generosity of our God who recognized that it is not good for us to be alone.