We are expanding the veggie patch here at Barefoot Manor. Mr. Barefoot isn't liking the way the world is going, or my cooking with homegrown is getting better, or something completely unrelated has lit a fire under his backside regarding the need for cheap, sustainable food. Anyway, this means I have been spending my days off out in the yard, pulling up turf and setting up new raised beds.
Today I was doing just this, when the strangest thing happened. All morning, I had been cutting turf, grabbing the chunks with grubby hands, and shaking the sh*t out of it in hopes of leaving as much soil as possible where the garden will be while getting out as many weeds and roots as possible. I had a nice rhythm going. Grab, shake, toss, thunk in the bucket. Repeat for several minutes, then groan my way to my feet, empty the buckets, and use the Garden Claw to rip up more grass and ground ivy. It was a mindless task in the best way. I found myself mesmerized by the worms (some as big around as my little finger!) and bugs crawling around in the soil. It was pretty mellow.
And then......
And then I grabbed a chunk of turf, gave it a shake, and heard clink-clink.
What?! I shook it again. Clink-clink. This time something fell out. It looked like an unusually straight twig, but when I picked it up, I discovered it was a nail. Then I found another. And another. And another! In the end, I found enough nails (two differents sizes, no less) to fill the bottom of a Cool Whip container.
Little Sprout kept asking me why I planted nails and what was going to grow from them. She didn't seem to believe me that it was just a (not so) happy accident that they were there.
In other news, I found a dead bunny while I was working in the garden. I couldn't tell what had killed it. I guess that is my proof that the litter WAS bigger than just the two kits we've seen so far. Either that, or I am only going to see one baby from now on. I am just counting my blessings that Little Sprout was inside when I found it. That gave me a chance to deal with "the body" without her being traumatized.
And last, but not least, I can add Goldfinches to my "yard bird" list. I saw a couple at the feeder the other day, and Little Sprout even got to see them. It may not seem like much of an accomplishment to get such common birds at the feeder, but between the squirrels being a nuisance and this being my first year with a bird feeder I am pleased with ANYTHING that graces me with a visit. Besides, Goldfinches are pretty.
~...and that's all I have to say about that....~
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