Butterflies and More

During September I decided to go hardcore for our garden the next summer.  I knew we wouldn't be spending a month in Utah again, because I was starting to think about going back to work as a nurse and Elena needed a summer job to start saving money for college.  So I decided to tear up the stupid landscaping fabric.  But first I had to shovel the compost I had already made/laid down it and tear out my zinnias, milkweed, and random cantaloupe plant.  That cantaloupe plant is really what convinced me to plant an all out garden.  Because if it could grow so well that we had melons to eat without me planting, watering, or weeding it, I figured a garden would have a very good chance of doing well.  It was a lot of work. 

I don't know that I have any pictures again later, but later I laid down layers of sticks, then cardboard, and then my compost over the whole garden.  And then I bought a load of dirt and put that over everything too.  I really needed probably two loads of dirt, because it barely covered the garden, but you know, cost and everything, and then it was so much work hauling it and spreading it.  Our neighbor was actually so nice, he saw us working on it, and then went out and bought a little trailer for his ride on lawnmower  and helped haul the dirt from our driveway to the garden.  

I always liked this street. 

Jubal just being handsome. 

So when I went to tear out the milkweed they had quite a few Monarch caterpillars on them, and I couldn't just let them die, but I did want to tear up the garden, so I bought some milkweed plants and a butterfly cage and we raised them.  Or well, watched them transform.  Efraim especially loved them.  He told me so ardently, "Thank you SO SO SO SO SO much Mom for planting a garden!!" Little did he know that I only planted milkweed because an actual garden with vegetables sounded like a lot of work.   It was really cool to watch them.  

No baking treats for Leo led to me losing weight too.  I guess there was upsides to his new diet.  But still, I missed baking desserts. 

More park time while waiting for the older kids to be done with cross country. 

 

Butterflies!!

And Jubal on his bike.