I have been doing some research into a raw food detox – I want to get some of the crap out of my body and jump start a little bit of weight loss.  I have been hovering at the same weight for awhile, and pretty much no matter what I do, nothing changes.  I found out yesterday why – I have some more tests to get done, but preliminary diagnosis is PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) – which would explain a lot.  Thankfully, it should be able to get under control with diet and diabetic meds. 

I still need to get to the garden and take some pics – actually, I’m in the garden several times a day, but never with the camera.  New pests have moved in… aphids.  I tell you, if it isn’t one thing, its another! 

We decided to go for a drive tonight to look at Tippy Dam – that was so cool to see – the rivers are all above flood stage, so they are having to open up the dam… isn’t that picture cool?

(Tippy Dam – Releasing Water)

We had a whopper of a storm two nights ago.  Amanda had a T-ball game, and we decided to go grocery shopping right after.  Around 9:30 we got done, and stopped by Mc Garbage Dump to get them some food and then head home.

The sky was looking ooky, so I tried to get the radar up on my phone – no dice.  So, I called my MIL to get the low-down, and wouldn’t you know, there was a tornado heading right for us.  Phil thought he saw something in the sky right above us.  We hightailed it home, going 2mph on our road because the rain & hail were so bad.

I believe there were 2 confirmed touchdowns, and multiple funnel clouds.  Here, we received about 9-12 inches of rain.  It was by far, the worse storm I’ve ever been in – rain, that is.  Red, blue, green & purple lightening…  Beautiful, but weird at the same time.

I have been busy getting our house cleaned (I was a bit behind – on laundry as well), in addition to getting the garden somewhat cleaned up.  I will post pictures tomorrow or Monday of what the garden looks like.  Everything faired pretty well. 

 And, yes… we have more severe storms coming.

I am having a heck of a time, and before I know it, the summer is going to be gone!  I need to get back on a schedule, the girls needs to be back on a schedule.  Period.  I’ve been kind of letting them have free rein for a bit, but I do want to get them going on a little bit of summer school.  Kaitlyn will be going into an advanced type 5th grade, and I don’t want her to lose her edge.  Amanda needs a little bit of urging in some areas, too.  I’m not going hardcore, but I do want them to spend about 1/2 hour a day reading, and 1/2 hour a day doing a workbook or sumthin’.  Lord knows they’ve been playing lots and lots!  Despite our driving being quite curtailed, they certainly aren’t suffering!

Did you know, that instead of the conventional Lemonade Stand, you can know sell all matter of things, living or not?  I hear Tent Worms are hot on the market as are earthworms.  And lots of them. 

Oh, and I also found out that a Niagra Falls replica can systematically be created in my back yard.  With the hose.  And the dirt we are trying to get grass growing in.

Yep, I’ll be darned.

I think my dates are a bit off, but based on my written journal, today is THE second week since planting.  I have tons of pictures, but instead of putting them in the post, I’ll just link them.  Or, you can click the photostream in the sidebar.

Corn 1:  This is the three rows we planted two or so weeks earlier than the rest.  Right out of the shoot, they did good – until we planted the second batch and we saw the difference.  On these three rows, I pinch-planted… meaning, I deliberately set two kernals every 12″. 

Corn 2:  These rows really took off, and I think its due to two reasons:  one, I “shook” seeds in the row, kind of on the heavy side, and secondly, this area gets a bit more sunshine.

Cucumber 1 and Cucumber Closeup:  12 mounds, only 9 took.  No clue why, but I can only wonder if the birds indulged?  I replanted today.

Squash and Squash Closeup:  The buggers shifted, or moved, or something.  I don’t know what happened, but they aren’t where we put them!  We have six plants out of I believe 8.  Won’t replant because of time constraints.

Cantelope & Cantelope Closeup:  6 hills, 4 took.  I am considering maybe using some of the extras from thinning and putting them in an empty hill.  Otherwise, we are going with what we got.

Watermelon & Watermelon Closeup:  Again, 4 of 6 popped.  I replanted 2.  These and pumpkins are going to be interesting to see if we pull it off.

Radishes & Radishes Closeup:  They are radishes.  So easy a caveman could do it.   I thinned through today.

Pumpkins & Pumpkins Closeup:  Doing pretty good and growing fast!  I only thinned the furthest mound.  The other two have two plants a piece.

Beets and Beets Closup:  Doing really good – I understand no thinning should be done, so we are leaving them be!

Onions :  Thinned these and what a wonderful smell from the thinnings!

Carrots & Carrots Closeup:  Hmm – again an example of pinch and plant.  I think the shake a bunch in the row option yields better results.  If these don’t push hard the next couple of days, I may just replant.

Lettuce:  Had to replant both rows – nothing came up, no clue why.

Beans, Beans, Beans, Beans and Peas:  One thing I have done wrong, is we allowed too much space inbetween wide rows.  In a few cases, we could easily get more in, which is exactly what we are going to do.  Results are spotty as you can see from the photos – is it the moles disrupting the seeds?  No idea.

Did you know that moles are actually good for the garden?  Me either.  Apparently, moles are good because they take care of grubs, which I knew, but they do NOT eat veggies, which I did not know.  So, I guess it would behoove us to keep the little sucker on premises.  Except for the ones in the yard – now those can go.

I have some areas I need to replant … some of my cucumbers didn’t take – I don’t think, anyway…  Do moles eat greens?  And, I realize I gave my beans too much room, so I’m going to put some more in there – I think we still have enough time in our growing season to get away with it.

What are some good, short maturity date veggies, anyway?

If you garden, you may realize how many lessons really can be learned just by gardening – or, maybe it’s me and this is a custom made path I’m down?

Doesn’t matter, really.  Patience is a very clear lesson I’m going through – not your typical outward patience, but more of the inner kind.  Walking side by side is the anti-patience… Discouragement.

Discouragement can come from many different areas… discouragement over your parenting – not seeing results in your children.  Discouragement in your job – working hard, fine tuning your talents only to be taken for granted.  There are many ways discouragement rears its’ head, but the bottom line is that it comes to rob you of patience – to make you take your eye off the prize.

Letting them spread their wings begins the moment they leave the protective cocoon they have resided in for nine (but in this case, 9 1/2) months.  The very first breath they breathe is the beginning of independence and doing things for themselves.

In our case, I think Kaitlyn was much easier to “let go” because we knew we had another one coming up.  Even in pregnancy, I cherished and held on to everything I could because I knew it would be the last.  The last foot rolling across my tummy.  The last time my body would be used to help God perform a miracle – the miracle of life.

I didn’t cry the day she went off to Kindergarten – I couldn’t allow myself that when I knew she was so excited to go and experience the world in which her sister had for four years before her.  No, I just couldn’t do it – but, I did mope for a few weeks.  My partner was gone.  There would no longer be the mid day naps giggling and snuggling under the blankets.  There would no longer just be her and I taking off to hang out at the library or going shopping during the day.

My babies are growing up into beautiful, strong, independent girls that are making their own paths, their own way.  Somehow, I was able to hang on to it during this first year of Kindergarten – knowing she still was a “baby”.  But, now, the realization that she truly is a little girl has just hit me like a ton of bricks.  Wasn’t it just yesterday that Kaitlyn was the Kindergartener?  And, now she is moving on to Middle School. 

Kaitlyn last summer…

We hear it when we are children – life goes by so quickly, and yet the truth of that statement isn’t allowed to infilterate, or obstruct our state of mind until we are adults and pass along the same to our own.  Time does go by too quickly.

So, for now, through my cloud of tears – of joy and of sorrow, I must come to terms with, and say goodbye to the fact that my baby really is no longer my baby.  She has officially become my little girl.  Graduate of the 2008 Kindergarten Class.