Long weekend...

Today was the beginning of a rare three day weekend. I woke up feeling joyful, the day unfolded before me just ripe with possibilities. I was not disappointed. My wonderful neighbor Travis arrived with his tractor and deftly moved piles of gravel so the new run in shed would have a nice sloped entrance. He left the gravel in piles around the shed, and I planned to spend my day shoveling and raking the stuff to the shape I desired. I took a break after he left, drank water and had a light lunch, preparing to spend the rest of my day working on gravel. Then the dogs began to bark and at my door were my neighbor kids and their older cousin,a professional landscaper. Sam, the landscaper, works like a crazy person. Equipped with a shovel and rake, he deftly and expertly moved that gravel around so quickly I just stood slack jawed in amazement. I swear it took him 20 minutes to do what would have taken me all afternoon.

My neighbors son took a break with Flirt. I can't quite tell who is smiling bigger!

Later in the day I got out my lovely garden basket and planted lettuce, celery, summer squash, zucchini, butternut squash, delicata squash, basil and some flowers. Last fall I attempted something called "Lasagne gardening," or "sheet mulching." In my existing garden I layered: seasoned manure, sheets of corrugated cardboard, fall leaves, grass clippings, shavings from the hen house and straw. The dirt in that garden is the stuff a gardener dreams of. Dark, moist, crumbly and full of happy looking worms. I popped the seedlings in, gave them a drink and now I will stand back and watch them grow. No tilling, no weeding, just planting and admiring what nature has done with the additions I made to the garden last fall.

I worked in the herb garden, too. I weeded it, planted 4 Basil plants, and admired the honey bees plundering the chive blossoms.

When Chris got home from work I wanted to show him the work that had been done. Chanel wanted to give him a nibble. This made me laugh. While Chris grilled steaks I sat at the picnic table and happily watched the chickens scratching, the horse grazing... and the mama goat? She was all over me... leaning in for "scritches," nibbling on my shirt, pressing her face into my neck and breathing happily. I never knew I could love a goat, but I do. This goat is so sweet, so sensual... she lives to be brushed and rubbed and touched. She radiates happiness when we are interacting. I am so glad to have her here. Today was day "1". Tomorrow more wonderful things will happen. I am so excited to wonder what they will be.