Playing with Worms

Lily loves the worms, the worms and the water. Not much has changed from last year in that respect. It seems she will play for eons as long as dirt, worms, and water are involved. The poor worms. She's been making "homes" for them. Which is to say, she takes one of the little expanded peat pellets, finds some worms, (and we have tons) and squishes them into the pellet. She then mashes more good dirt in on top of them and says, "Okay here's your home, wormies." Sometimes we are actually in the garden working or playing side by side in precious quiet for a few moments that I don't quite realize what she's done until after she's done it. Like I said, poor worms. Although she did make hot chocolate for them out of dirt and water, and I can bet these are the first worms in the history of the world that have ever had such a delicious treat as Lily's compost hot chocolate, and all in the comfort of their new home!

Not much actual gardening going on around here as it’s been raining FOREVER. We planted some of our pea starts out, as well as some lettuce, and kale starts and I think I actually shocked them all to death. Yup, once again I started too early, because I am missing an important gene called PATIENCE. Usually Mother Nature looks out for me and somehow my starts make it, but this year, not so much.

The Peas might decide to survive although right now they’re looking pretty pissed off at me, but the lettuce and kale starts, all dead. It is weird and unsettling to see once beautiful, little, bright green seedlings that you and your child nurtured, flopped over, dried up and shriveled. Not fun. Doesn't make for good photography either. Good thing I have more seeds! And good thing the co-op has gorgeous looking starts. So for now we’ll play with the worms and try, try, try to be gentler with our next batch of starts.