Get the yard and gardens in shape, really good shape.

are awake, thriving! I cut a bouquet. For Ms. R. Peony (Festivus Maximus) on left. Old garden roses planted by her, and me, and a couple of Tea roses, pre-established, the white I think is the John F. Kennedy rose.

For a second year rose garden we are very well along, thriving!

A dozen blooms now, heady with old rose scent. And the bushes covered with hundreds of buds. We had a confab last night and made clear that the high point will be soon, when sh is next here and hear. The first peonies exploded yesterday too, Festivus Maximus leading the charge. They are on board too. Flowersonthenightstand, always one word rushed, assembled, perfect, is the call, the goal, the purpose.

Alternately deep soaking rains followed by warm but not hot sunshine. Fertilizing and crabgrass preventer this year increased the growth and the rate is exponential. It’s filling in and looking much much better. The down side is I’m mowing almost every other day. Back at it again today.

Mr. M in his brown coat patrols the garden whenever he can, peeing on pepper plants and treading on every proto-parsnip. Let’s hope they work things out and everybody is happy soon.

Peter, or maybe Flopsy, (I dunno) was spotted in the garden yesterday. I’d pretty well sealed things off after the visit from Mr. Groundhog who can eat a whole garden in one visit, and was worried that I’d sealed wee bunnies in, not out, after seeing one.

The answer is no. He’s got a wee squeeze hole under the fence, seen in a bunny exodus yesterday. That’s fine. He’ll be too big for it soon. As long as he doesn’t invite a lot of friends or Mr. Groundhog to a bigger hole party.

Three beautiful rows of parsnips have emerged and it looks like every seed sprouted! I ignored the usual plant-and-then-thin, spacing each seed in the hope that I would get a bumper crop and no thinning. I am stirred to the cockles of my green heart! Join me Darling?

Lost one tomato plant. She wasn’t happy to begin with but looking at the corpse tells me she’s happy now, over the catsup bridge to tomato heaven. Everybody else shivered but warmed nicely later.

Three rows of parsnips, barely breaking ground but now on the way! Fat budded peonies, especially Festiva Maximus, tall and proud! Hundreds of rose buds in a wide variety of progress, two rows of spinach up! A lot of the grass seed I planted now well under way! And the whole yard mowed! Life is fine, and Ms R will be here for all the blooms and salad and me she can hold.

I’d sealed the backyard garden off pretty well, noting the eating of various plantings before we get to eat them. Then this morn, in the mist and dew and drizzle, I spy a furry sweet cutie pie no bigger than my fist hopping hither and thither. I’ll look under the bloomin’ azaleas and elsewhere to see if I haven’t locked my problem in instead of out. But MY! So cute!

You are a big ‘un! How you slipped under that wide spot at the bottom of the garden gate is a bit of puzzle to me. But I know most of your family can squeeze through anything that can accommodate your skull and for that you are admirable.

I love seeing your rich red-brown colour, the way you move like an accordion in motion when you hurry across open grass, they way when you feel caught under a car or something like it you are patient and quiet and sniffing.

I also loved the way Mr. B. saw you, and you responded by dashing into the garage. Mr. B knows me, my affections for this sort of thing and was my hero. He closed the door and ran to me saying I got a groundhog trapped in the garage!

I called Ms R of course. She spoke of furry hats and muffs but my mind wanted to light the grill. She and I see eye to eye you know. She was looking past the meal is all.

So we opened the door and waited. Sure enough you came and sniffed patiently in full view while Mr. B waited to BOO. He did and you are gone.

I know now it was you who dined upon my young plants. We did not eat you but you are banned. We screwed some chicken wire down at your entrance and later I saw your dissapointment when you came back. Please come visit, run for me, show me your coat and outlook.

But stay outside the fence.

With fondness, Epic.

and planted the starter plants we acquired. Eight more Roma tomato plants, four beef steak tomato plants, four big hot chile plants, for rellenos, four hungarian italian cooking pepper plants.

The spinach and lettuce are up, the snow peas chugging along, and the brussel sprout plants getting well established. I had a wee chat with the parsnips. Soon, they said. We take four weeks to germinate, break ground!

seed was brought across borders, handed over in the dark of night, in a secret drop of more, and then more.

After the pedi, and the audi, and the more more of a late wake and hard work and the resultant emotions of job well done, this is the good kind of sore a row will be opened in the soil and the seed dropped in and covered. Or, as they say at Crop U, GO FIGHTING PARSNIPS!

Then, we will go see what State Surplus has to offer, for it is a treasure of potential sometimes fulfilled. Then, tonight, we will go to The Grill, and all is perfect!