Miscellany

Garden in back
newest part of backyard garden
Hostas, ferns and calendula in backyard
front yard
front yard

Matt getting prepped for a bike ride/overnight camping trip.
Ezzie is in a sugar daze.
Henry is wondering if he can have another marshmallow.
The boys and their friend roast while the adults chat.

My friend left. I know, I know, I know. We live in a transient community. Every year that we have been here, someone dear to my heart moves on. This time, Dawn and her family will be in Florida for a couple months and then they will move to an apt. complex down the road. They are coming back. So why am I completely bereft? 

 Dawn has this mellow voice and attitude but as you get to know her, the feisty Latina surfaces. Dawn is one of those special people who can not only cook delicious food but set a festive table ( like my late Nana Kitty). Dawn spots you walking by her house and immediately pours you a cocktail in a vintage glass or some iced tea in a jelly jar. If a crowd of children is gathering outside, Dawn will put together a tray of bite sized goodies for the kids to nosh on while playing outside. Her backyard is the place to be for little kids: slip n slides, barbecues, kiddie pools and bubbles.  She is a very involved mother of two amazing kids (who I love) and she is getting her PhD., she writes about women in Academia. Dawn is a smarty pants and yet, so easy to talk to about anything. She is one of the few friends I have that feels more like a big sister. Now that Dawn has left, I have no one to wax on and on about gardening with. She gave me all of her plants and rocks. And every time I sit outside and work in my garden I think of her. 

So, my gardens are expanding, thanks to Dawn. Although I assured her she can have it all back when she returns. In N.V, we are required to make a rock border or put up some kind of fence for our flower beds, they can not be any wider than 36 inches. We do not have any storage so grills, bikes, toys etc. all have to have a place in the backyard as well, which can make finding room for a garden, difficult. We are not supposed to grow any vegetables but people break that rule pretty frequently. Many people grow scallions, garlic, onions, snow peas, herbs and cherry tomatoes. And when someone moves, it is all fair game. It generally takes 3 days for the scavengers to clean up the rocks left behind. I consider myself a scavenger so I use that word with all due respect.

The kids ate a disgusting amount of marshmallows the other night. I mean, for once, I did not count them out. I just sort of let it go and let them eat as many as they want. (this is likely the result of that one beer I drank and the company we had and for the  curious fact that if Matt and I are both present the responsibility of sugar monitoring falls to me because I am a woman?). It was the first time they (and a friend of theirs) had toasted them without help from an adult. And what fun they had. The adults had fresh organic strawberries and vanilla ice cream. Life is good if you have access to fresh local strawberries. right? I mean, how can I complain anymore about anything if I can walk down the road and pick the most perfect, sweet and red strawberries.