Memorial Day

What we saw of the parade and ceremonies went well today, and were well attended. L and I were madly planting this morning, and missed the beginning. We've been madly planting, weeding, watering, etc. since we got back, and as of posting this, haven't even had lunch yet.


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Mohawk Regional played for us, so the local band stood down for this year.

This year the military person giving a speech was a Vietnam Vet, who gave a great speech -- may it inspire people to go forth and do as he suggested, sharing the meaning of not only the day but of service, and of what it means to be a responsible and active citizen.

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My thanks to my ancestors, father, brothers, friends, and all the rest of the men and women who have fought to preserve freedom and justice. These honorable folks have done and are doing the best they are able to serve our nation, often at great sacrifice of their own happiness and comfort, and sometimes the greatest sacrifice of all.

I salute you.

Gardening

Stayed home from barbecue and class today -- we were finally making significant progress today, and with the amount that needs doing, decided to keep on with it. Weeded, watered, planted!

New stuff:

- bush green beans, soldier beans, carrots, parsnips, turnips.
- Butternut, Delicata, Summer, & Hubbard squashes.
- Pumpkins, cucumbers, corn (meal), some oats, and ginger.
- grass seed in a number of places, the two largest areas being where the two black walnuts and the old maple stump were taken away.
- a bit of borage

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Missed mentioning the start of planting sweet corn yesterday. More is planted every 2 weeks, to extend the harvest season.

Above done by both of us. L did lots of work in the herb garden, rediscovering the Lavendar, among other things. He also did more mowing, and added the fourth wall to the new compost bin he made by the lower garden.

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If it doesn't rain _all_ day tomorrow, I'll put the rest of the ginger in. New, larger space for them (L's idea), so hopefully we'll get lots of ginger, and be able to sell some of it to Elmers.


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NOTES: Keeping small parsnips and carrots over indoors and then trying to replant them doesn't work. Leaving them in the ground works fine, but there's a question of if they'll be edible or not. If they go to seed, I'll crop all the carrots and try to seed save off some of the parsnips. Carrots can cross with Queen Anne's Lace, and I'm not keen on that.

Replanting onions that were in winter storage and sprouted works fine. Fall planting of garlic and onions looks great!

Sunchokes are also thriving, and need to be moved before they become a fixture in the garden bed. They're part of the naturalization of edible plants program. And according to a good friend, apparently they love living with asparagus and creeping Charlie.

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Did get in some practice of forms today, at least.