Monday, March 30, 2009
Spring Break?


This past week, I was on spring break from my English classes and Chris was on furlough (the newest alternative to layoffs at the paper). With all the reading we have, I feel like we barely have enough time during a regular week to keep our heads above water, so we took this time to get ahead on some projects.

One such neglected project was the community garden plot we nabbed back in November. We went on the waiting list more than a year ago, when I actually had time for a hobby. So it was only fitting that we would be awarded one right in the midst of being full-time students (and, kinda, full-time adults). Fast-forward five months, and we naively arrive ready to sow some seeds only to find our 300-square-foot piece of land completely overgrown with knee-deep weeds. Chris quite adorably said, "How did these weeds get here?" as if someone had snuck in and planted them just to spite us. The thought of turning and running crossed both our minds, but instead we spent the next two days digging, uprooting, and composting, and another day putting veggies into the ground. The pictures below chart our progress.


First impression: "How did these weeds get here?"



Day one: A few hours of work, and half the plot is visible.



Day two: Woot, woot! Our plot finally looks like what we expected to find.



Day three: Tiny plants and seeds are in the ground.

That last picture is a bit anticlimactic, but you gotta start somewhere. This whole venture began with us wishing we had a bit of land to grow fresh veggies, and I'm looking forward to making some yummy summer salads with whatever the garden yields. Currently, we have tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, cantaloupe, beans, lettuce, radishes, and basil growing just a short bike ride from our apartment. I hope to get some carrots, sweet potatoes, and a few others in the ground next week.


On top of all the work we put in at the garden, and reading ahead for school, we spent a day tooling around Palo Alto. Spring really has sprung here, as you can see in the pictures of blossoming trees and sunny skies. We took a look inside Stanford Chapel and then walked around the campus before heading to the Old Pro for the KU basketball game. Aside from that loss to Michigan State, I'll say it was a nice week spent catching our breath.




Posted by Kelley at 9:49 PM | 0 comments