Home again, home again

We made it back to Michigan the first part of April. So here it is mid-May and I am working on becoming acclimated to life back home.

Generally in the spring I am fairly busy getting gardens ready for summer. King and I are caretakers on a gentleman's hobby farm in Southwest Michigan. The owner lives in Chicago and comes to Michigan on weekends. We keep things running, mow lawns and tend gardens during the week in exchange for free housing. This is our seventh summer and before taking to the road last fall we did this year-round.

This year, however,  I finally bit the bullet and decided enough was enough and I am having knee replacement surgery at the end of the month. I have osteoarthritis in both knees, but the right knee is worse than the left. After spending the winter sometimes crawling into the trailer, King and I decided it was time.

Which means I am not doing much in the gardens this spring -- and won't be able to weed much for six weeks after the surgery. Gardeners know what a six-week hiatus from weeding means. So we are scaling back.

We have three large gardens and multiple raised garden beds. When we got back I spent two weeks weeding the raised beds --  off and on. It took its toll and I spent many evenings in a recliner icing my knees and being generally bitchy to King. So now I stay inside spending my time sewing tote bags, baking muffins and teaching myself to make rag rugs. (And nursing my guilt for not being outside to help King. He truly has not complained).

This past weekend the owner brought some purple asparagus crowns for transplanting. King put them in a couple of the raised beds. I pointed out to him that he rather hates asparagus because their fern-like growth annoys his sense of order and perhaps he should have put them in an area not in the middle of the yard. He ignored me. At least now when the asparagus grows to unmanageable heights he can't say anything to me.

Today as I was putting another rag rug in the trailer King was working on the garden next to the trailer.

"I really think we need a small area of broccoli in here," I said.

King rolled his eyes. "I'm not weeding around broccoli," he said. "I don't even like broccoli."

"Just put some shade cloth down along the edge, I will plant the broccoli and you can still get in here with the tractor. The broccoli will be out of the way."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "The black plastic-like material we used on the tomatoes last year. We also used it in the pumpkin garden."

King said he would think about it. A few hours later he came in the house and said the "stuff" was down and I could plant whatever I wanted.

I'm thinking broccoli and a few tomato plants. I also need peppers and green beans and ...