Saturday, March 14, 2009

Thank goodness I convinced them!

Greetings everyone! This is Diva Dog. I've usurped the computer while Mama Curmudgeon is teaching and Momma Wing Nut is grocery shopping.

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Spring, or almost spring, is a difficult time for me. You see, my mamas love to work outside in the gardens any time there is a warm and sunny day, which means fewer trips to the off-leash parks for me. They mumble something about "only so many hours in the day," and usually the garden wins out over me. So then I feel a bit neglected and under-exercised. But yesterday I whined and moaned, I mean managed to convince them to spend some time with me and go to the dog park!  I'm glad I did, too, because today is cool, gray and rainy.

Momma Wing Nut drove us all the way over to Marymoor Park where we all had a nice long walk through the grassy areas along the creek.

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I searched for squirrels and bunnies in the wooded areas.

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I even dipped my toes in the water a bit. But I'm not really a swimmer or retriever, you know.

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I'm a shepherd and guardian, used to patrolling the meadows and making sure the fences are secure.

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I stopped chasing my ball for a few minutes to enjoy the warm glow of sunshine upon my fur. My mamas "oohed" and "aaahed" over my beauty and took these lovely photos. I indulged them a bit -- they are so easily entertained.

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After playing for an hour or so, we headed home.  I was tired but happy!

After lunch, my mommas then went out to the garden and spent the entire afternoon outside. I, of course, wanted to be with them, so I joined them outside. I don't understand what a pea trellis is, but Momma Wing Nut tried to build one while I tried to take a nap on the patio. 

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They also put up a teepee for some other peas and put down some burlap bags that a fellow gardener graciously shared with them. Here's a photo of the garden yesterday afternoon. I think the other photos on this post are much more interesting, but anyway...

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Sigh... They really are gardening fanatics, but I love them dearly.

-- The one and only Diva Dog

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Oh my aching...

Fill in whatever body part you want here. They all hurt! You know, it's really too bad Tiger Balm only comes in tiny jars -- I'd like to dip myself in a vat of it.


Yesterday afternoon, while the temps were low but the sun was warm, Curmudgeon and I worked on the garden bed for about 4 hours or so. Today we're feeling it.

We had planted crimson clover and fava beans in the fall for a winter cover crop. We thought it was now time to churn them under so we can start planting in another week or two. Plus we added 4 bags of steer manure. We did all of this work by hand, by hoe, by shovel, by Garden Claw, and by rake. No mechanical equipment. Uff da hey -- that was hard work! Next year, if we have a winter cover crop, I want a rototiller!!

Hopefully all of our efforts will pay off with a bumper-crop of veggies this summer. In the meanwhile, if White Socks will share, I'm going to sit on the sofa, covered in Tiger Balm, sip my coffee and read a book. And maybe dream of rototillers...

-- Wing Nut