Get better, miss Lexi!

Miss Lexi Lou has been at the vet's since Monday with a bad case of vomiting.  We were initially thinking she might have eaten something that was blocking her intestines, but it turns out that the problem is with her liver.  For now she is stable, and might even get to come home today, but we're waiting to find out whether this is a short term problem that will resolve itself, or something more chronic.  We're crossing our fingers for short term/ easy resolution, and hoping and hoping she gets to come home for the weekend. 

Lex has been my number one garden buddy since the first day she came home with me on a "trial foster period." We were living in Ballard at the time, and I was just starting to get to know this little dog.  I was digging up some turf in the planting strip to make room for a vegetable bed.  Lexi watched me intently as I fought with a particularly stubborn clump of grass.  After a few minutes, she walked over to the clump of grass, grabbed it in her mouth, planted both feet, and pulled as hard as she could.  It popped out of the soil, and Lexi was so excited she shook it all over the place, dirt clods flying everywhere.  I laughed and laughed, and knew right then that the foster period was over, and that I had found myself a great garden helper. Indeed, she's been a constant garden companion to me ever since that day. She is always by my side, whether I'm planting, weeding, or harvesting (particularly when I'm picking, ahem, peas.)  Because she's on my mind today, I rounded up some of my favorite garden shots of her. Get better, Lexi-Lou, our dear bubeleh!  Chad and I are thinking of you today and sending you all of our healing, loving thoughts.  

4 legged Pea Eater

Our peas started out quite slowly this year, and for awhile it didn't look like they were going to do much.  In late April they finally started to climb the trellis, but looked quite skinny.  

The heat and moisture combo of June this year, though, really inspired them to grow, so by late June we were in full-on pea-harvest bliss.  

Sugar-snap peas are a cherished treat in our home- we love to make stir fries, risottos, or just eat them straight out of the garden.  My loyal garden buddy has picked up this habit too, it seems.  

For a little while I thought about busting her for this, but it completely charms me, maybe because she finds so much joy in eating them.

A Tale of Two Swarms

Last week I took advantage of a nice sunny evening to wander over to the bees and check up on them post split.  I saw this in one of the trees:

Apologies for the image quality.  My camera is being repaired!

Some Edibles Lately

It's been awhile since I've posted any updates on the garden.  While my work has leveled off out there for this growing season, the fruits of the plants' labor are just coming into their prime.  Here are some lovelies doing their ripening thing:

On Pedals and Petals

Lately I've been spending a lot of time in the garden, which has led me to dream up all kinds of gardening-related topics to write about. Every spring I get overtaken by this huge urge to get out in the dirt, pull some weeds, plant some seeds, and celebrate growth in my backyard. My sense of urgency to get my hands dirty is driven by the first emergence of the sunshine, the long daylight hours and by a deep desire to get seeds planted so I can enjoy the fruits of my labor during the lazy days of summer. These past two years I've struggled with how to balance my love of gardening with my love of riding bikes... especially during the springtime, when both pursuits require a high level of commitment in terms of time and money. Anyhow, as I continue to struggle with balancing these pastimes, I'm planning to chronicle my adventures in both cycling and gardening here.

I've been thinking about the similarities between riding bikes and gardening ever since asked this question by my friend Muuqi, as a part of an interview he did awhile back for his blog, Life Cycles (great blog, check it out!). Basically, it comes down to two main themes-  observation and investment.   Both acts- riding bikes and gardening- give you an opportunity to have a more intimate interaction with your natural surroundings than say, sitting on the couch or driving in a car.  These interactions help you develop keen observation skills, which I think makes you a better citizen of the world, or at least a more interesting person.  On investment- there is immediate satisfaction, from weeding a plot of land or building a trellis, or from sweeping around a perfect corner on a mountain bike, or reaching the top of a tough climb. There are also longer term rewards.  In the garden, you pick ripe fruit,  cut fresh greens, you savor the literal fruits of your labors.  Similarly, on the bike, you harvest a sense of growing strength and speed after investing in repeated workouts on the bike. 

Fruits of last  year's labors- giant lettuces