Morning Work

I have not washed the dishes, made the bed, swept, done any laundry or any other 'work' and yet I have decided my morning work is done.  The boys have been away since Tuesday - in the mountains with Grandmom and Grandad - and we have been working hard here on some large projects.  I was ready this morning - my last morning in a silent house for awhile - for a different kind of work...

First thing before breakfast I decided it was harvest time.  I have promised the boys some pickled beets, and these carrots are headed to the freezer.  The last of the chard and the first of the veggies are being chopped into some stirfry for dinner tonight.  We were so happy to pick the first eggplant we didn't wait for it to get any bigger!

After breakfast I picked another bountiful harvest meant to be a feast for the eyes only.  I filled the container by the front door with a bit of everything blooming in the garden now.  So this is my garden in miniature.  (I wish my beds looked this full.)

The only thing not represented in this container are my Mama Williams's garlic.  The boys and I love to watch it bloom every year.  When the blossoms pop out of their skins they sit on top of the blooms like little hats.  This is what they looked like a couple of weeks ago:

I brought them inside this morning because they were beginning to fall over:

I also planted some basil where the carrots were harvested - better late than never - and watered a few things from the rain barrell.  I guess now it's time to do some of those other things...