Good stuff: Basil

Besides being at the top of my list of favorite herbs, here's a fun fact about basil: plug a cut stem into some water and it will put out some roots so you could theoretically plant it again. This guy has been sprouting its new legs on our kitchen windowsill for the past week or two. Good stuff

Garden of Eden, Bikes, Babies, and coffee

Finally getting some stuff done around here. Once you find the motivation to get up off the couch, everything changes for the better. I'm getting smarter about starting and/or finishing important chores during each day. This, in turn, is helping me realize my potential for doing other things--maybe art, or sewing projects, which I've been reluctant to pursue as of late.

Our garden is starting to look like something: soil has been turned; weeds have been weeded; two raised beds are constructed and finally planted (kale, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, jalapeno, onions); bush beans have been sown; zucchini mounds are mounded; strawberries seems to be doing their thing; Asian poppies are popping; irises are iris-ing; and hydrangeas look to be surviving. That AND our lawn is mowed, thanks to our gracious neighbor who said we could borrow his (working) mower.

I've been getting super excited about biking. New cycling shoes are being shipped and new pedals (Crank Brothers "Candy" eggbeater pedals!) are waiting to be installed. One of my mechanic buddies said he would go with me to take our 'cross bikes on some singletrack at a nearby trail park which has got me bursting at the seams with excitement.

Meanwhile, Ellie is becoming her own little person, talking like crazy, naming things, feeding her babydoll, walking, climbing, feeding herself, and playing in the dirt. Not to mention that she sleeps like a champ through the night and two solid naps every day.

Did I mention that "Baby 2" is almost here? Just less than 2 months away and wanting to settle on a name is driving me crazy. It is impossible but I'm starting to get pretty excited. Plus I know Ellie is going to be an awesome big sister and she is proving it every day.

And I've been loving my French press coffee lately.

Meatballs & Kale

This is a recipe that became a favorite of mine after the first bite the first time we had made it. It's adapted from a recipe called "Mini Meatballs with Kale and Orecchiette" from Frances Largeman-Roth's Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom's Healthy Eating Guide. Recently we had plenty of kale to harvest but just a fraction of the amount of parsley needed. I'll post the original recipe and include notes about what we do differently...

1 c. finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons plain, low-fat Greek-style yogurt [omitted for convenience]
1 pound ground bison or lamb [substitute ground turkey]
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground allspice [omitted since we don't have it]
3/4 tsp Worchesershire sauce [I'm sure we put in more than this]
--
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
10 oz package of dried orecchiette [substitute whole grain pasta, like rigatoni]
1-1/4 c. chicken broth
1 bunch kale (5 cups), chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tbsp grated Parmesan, for serving
--
1. Combine the first 11 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with spatula [or clean hands] until well combined
2. Place large pot of water on stove to boil; preheat oven to 350-degrees-Eff
3. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spoon out meat mixture and shape into meatballs by rolling mixture between your hands. Set meatballs on the lined baking sheet
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Working in batches, add meatballs in an even layer, and cook on each side for 5 minutes, or until evenly browned. Transfer cooked meatballs to baking dish and place in preheated over for 10 minutes to finish cooking
5. Cook the orecchiette [or pasta]; drain
6. Using the same skillet (don't clean it!), add 1/4 c chicken broth and use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Add the chopped kale, cover, and heat over med-high for about 8 minutes or until wilted. Sprinkle the kale with pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp of remaining salt, and add remaining cup of chicken broth. Bring to simmer for 5 minutes
6. Combine the meatballs, kale, and any remaining liquid in a large bowl with the orecchiette [or pasta]. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve hot.
--
Note: we usually only prepare half this recipe when cooking for only the two of us. Kale is crazy good for you and this recipe will make your mind explode because it is so perfect. Please try it once. It's such an easy recipe and will change your life, I'm sure of it.

Updates: June edition

So this blaugh has really taken a turn for the worse as I've all but abandoned posting of photos and wisdom and unsolicited (and unwanted) opinions. Well I'm breaking my own accidental silence with this post; a hodgepodge of updates and thoughts, which might be followed up later with a couple photos of a particular cute baby. I can't promise that this is a complete revitalization of ADITGL, but maybe a reminder that I'm still alive and all has been well, but busy at home and work!

First off, the garden is doing well. We've been eating lettuce, sugar snap peas, a couple cherry-roma tomatoes, some basil, some spinach, and plenty of kale! Strawberries came heavy this year and I gave up on harvesting them by the end of May. There is more lavender and oregano than I know what to do with and German Chamomile has turned into a weed that is taking over all the bare soil it can find.  I've also been tending to our flower gardens. I recently added a hydrangea (C's favorite flower), a blazing star, a peony, dame's rocket, and some creeping phlox. I've also been transplanting some goodies like purple coneflower, creeping thyme, bugleweed, and lamb's-ear to places that need some more color. I've tried to add mulch to make bare soil look like something other than bare soil and zucchini is about to explode. Days have been very very hot and precipitation has been little and far between lately, making gardening a challenge.

Ellie has been wonderful. She is growing so fast and learning new things I can't even catch you up. Namely she's holding her head up like a champ and loves staring at trees. The biggest bit of news is that C starts back to work next week and we're both pretty nervous about the huge change.

I was able to celebrate my first father's day this past weekend and it was a great one. I got a great card declaring that I am the world's best dad--which I wasn't even expecting in my rookie year as a father. It was a very humbling honor. I also got a sweet monogrammed wallet from my infant daughter--funny because it's huge, but awesome because it's really nice and will always be my first father's day gift. Thanks Ellie! (Thanks C)

That's all for now. Be on the lookout for some photos coming soon...

Good Life Go!

garden, mud hole

tomatoeshot peppersyellow squashzucchchamomilezinniapurple coneflowersalvia...?hydrangeadaylilypatiopool party

good work, photos

lamb's ear, sage

squash

sugar snap peas

lettuce

tomatoes

homegrown strawberries

deconstruction

Movies, garden

Watched "He's Just Not That Into You" last night. It was cute, and cool to see an "all-star" cast like that. Less of a movie, more of a public service announcement, but they were able to spin a few feel-good plots out. Not sure how it may have compared to any of the books of the same title. I guess there were some take home messages: dating sucks because most people suck...err, are inconsiderate and self-centered; Ben Affleck is dreamy, but not as dreamy as I; I am not too dreamy and wish I was both more creative and assertive...

It was leagues better than "New In Town."

Big ups to Red Box and $1.09 DVD rentals. I've definitely been enjoying hanging with C (and Alden) on the couch for a couple hours in front of a movie--something we never really did much before dollar rentals. And honestly, it's better than watching TV which can be pretty redundant if not pointless, especially with all the same commercials.
--
Lots of (not-sweet) strawberries coming out of the garden, starting last week. Also, sugar snap peas are about full on. Unfortunately they have grown about 1.5' beyond the crappy trellises I built and are starting to completely bend over--not the plants, the trellises. Lettuce is super happy. Spinach is spent and going to seed. Tomatoes are getting huge, and so are all three squash plants. My jalapeno pepper is slowly getting established. Chamomile is starting to take off also.

Paint/Holiday Chill

This is my latest work of half-ass-ed art, but I'm a bit obsessed with it for a couple reasons: (1) this particular canvas has been serving as our makeshift baby-gate to corral the dog(s) in one room or another, so it is constantly being shifted around and always visible; (2) this painting marks the first time I've picked up a can of spray paint in a long time and it felt great. Nothing compares to painting with spray paint. It's a phenomenal medium and gives you an awesome amount of control.
--
So, the weekend was pretty great. Instead of filling it with tons of chores, errands, traveling, etc. we got a lot of rest. C would argue it was pretty boring and a waste of time, but I really appreciate all the mid-day napping and couch-surfing that went down. Plus, we DID get stuff done. We bought as many as twenty-one plants which are now planted in the front yard; we weeded and cleaned out helicopters from our garden beds; I removed some turf to expand another garden bed; we added a lower level to the garage work bench for additional (and essential) storage which allowed some much-needed organization; I also organized the basement a bit. The one thing I am really frustrated about is getting a pretty wicked sunburn on my back which was extra stupid considering I had applied 50SPF sunscreen to my neck, shoulders, face, and arms...twice! C and I biked a lot this weekend and I'm sure we got many other small things done, all while watching M&J's dog.

All the R&R was afforded, unfortunately, at the expense of spending time with family--which was not an easy decision to make. If we had traveled out of town, not only would our time with each relative be pretty thin, but on top of the long drive, no rest would have been had. I've got a big week at work coming up and needed some home time with C, the pup, and our impatient gardens.

Sometimes I fear that I walk a thin line between laziness/boring and "chill." I can be pretty complacent about things and am usually not too frustrated with doing nothing--as long as that nothing is restful and pleasant. I can get antsy at times, but usually don't have a problem with filling those small gaps with completing useful chores or doing something I enjoy (riding a bike, making art, etc.). I guess I mastered the art of un-organized, solo activities when I was younger (skateboarding, playing music, etc.).
--
Tonight, our holiday chill will include tacos, a Red Stripe, Religulous, and maybe brownies...byah!

dirt virtue

I like getting showers. No doubt. It feels great. Especially when I have some Dr. Bronner's pure castle hemp oil soapy goodness. I feel good when I'm wearing clean socks and clean underwear. Other than that, I don't mind getting dirty. I might go so far as to say I enjoy being dirty. What's worse than having some nice khakis or a clean shirt--then spilling something on it; or not being able to get on your hands and knees to garden, play with a dog, walk in the rain, or whatever...? That sucks. My wardrobe is built around getting dirty. That is mostly due to the fortunate fact that my job entails getting dirty and I can get away with wearing pants with knee stains around the office on a normal day. In most cases, stains on your knees and dirt on your hands are a measure of good work in my mind.
If you have been suffering from an aversion to soil--go start a garden, or plant a container, and do it without gloves. Break up clods of soil with your fingers and sprinkle them back into place, then wipe your hands on your thighs. Don't change until you've enjoyed one of your favorite drinks (ice water is a good choice) and admired the metaphorical (or perhaps very literal) fruits of your labor. One of my favorite things is plunging my hands deep into a loose, loamy garden bed as if it were a pool of water, then lifting up a pile of cool soil only to dump it back into the new hole and churn it again.
If you've ever seen me try to "dress up"--you should be able to notice the small indicators that prove I am not experienced nor interested in that fine art. I can admit that it can be fun to occassionally dress in suit pants, buttoned shirt, and tie--but it's not comfortable and far from practical. Plus, just as the term "dressing up" implies, it is a better indicator of money spent than hours worked.
--
Sidenotes: Congrats to BW graduate Terry "Waste No Time" Love
and Happy Mother's Day to all my moms who have helped shape me into the dirt-loving freak I am

Chaos + Backyard Farming

I have a lot of work to do, but wanted to jot (jought?) some stuff down.

- C is an amazing cook and excels at Italian food. And cookies.
- Chocolate soy milk is freaking wonderful.
- Got a lot of work done in the garden this weekend - back breaking work including breaking up lawn, removing grass (sod?), dividing and moving plants, laying nearly 2 cubic yards of mulch, and making it look BOMB
- Hung out with family yesterday, including a dirt-loving toddler

- I am sort-of involved with a pilot program about sustainable living which involves reading a guide book and doing some activities. Long-explanation omitted, there was a brief section about food. One important point the authors made was about the importance of eating food that looks like food. For example: an apple/orange (fruit), rice (grain), lettuce (veggies)... The more your food looks less like it did when it was born, it's probably not as good for you (relatively speaking)... Interesting thought.

- I've got sugar snap peas and lettuce popping out of the ground--we're supposed to get frost tonight here in Ohio. Meanwhile, I REALLY need to start my basil, cilantro, swiss chard, and parsley inside immediately - hopefully tonight. We're losing time! For anyone interested in starting plants indoors, I've found that putting my flat (which includes a clear plastic top) at a south-facing window is working well. The table it sits on is over a heat register and on cold days & nights, the warmth is probably helping it stay at or above 60 degrees (65-70 is optimal)

Garden

3/12 - planted two rows of sugar snap peas (days are around 50 degrees; nights getting near 35, yikes!)
3/27 - planted lettuce, spinach, a 3rd row of snap peas (days between 50 and 60 degrees)
3/29 - put stakes along each pea row; started tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and creeping thyme in basement; C laid an awesome brick path to our garden spigot reminiscent of one found aside a quaint English cottage--preferably one with a thatch roof and a hobbit inside. I hope to plant some creeping thyme that might fill in the cracks between the bricks...
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4/4 - scheduled delivery of 3 cubic yards of pine bark mulch, 40 lbs of composted cow manure, and a bag of potting soil.
--
Just contacted a guy selling white plastic 55-gal barrels... Gonna try to make a rain barrel for the yard. Yeehaw. Hopefully, when I get my act together, I will post photos and instructions! Woop

"Your Burpee Order has shipped"

Here are the items that were partially or fully shipped:

Item Id	Item name	Original Qty	Delivered Qty	Remaining Qty
53439A	TOMATO VIVA ITALIA HYBRID	1.00	1.00	0.00
63726A	TOMATO FRESH SALSA	1.00	1.00	0.00
54833A	SQUASH SUNRAY HYBRID	1.00	1.00	0.00
67017A	SPINACH SALAD FRESH	1.00	1.00	0.00
54734A	SWISS CHARD BRIGHT LIGHTS	1.00	1.00	0.00
63655A	PEPPER MARIACHI HYBRID	1.00	1.00	0.00
63750A	LETTUCE EZ SERVE	1.00	1.00	0.00
54916A	HERB THYME CREEPING	1.00	1.00	0.00
54858A	SQUASH BORN FREE HYBRID	1.00	1.00	0.00
53397A	SQUASH WALTHAM BUTTERNUT	1.00	1.00	0.00
99004	SEA MAGIC	1.00	1.00	0.00
41310A	ZINNIA PURPLE PRINCE	1.00	1.00	0.00

Reflections on Success/ The kids are alright

Over the weekend, I was speculating on whether I suffer from a fatal case of poor work ethic or just a temporary lack of inspiration by the options for work I see available to me. C, Amanda, Andy, and I had a discussion about "success" and, if I recall correctly, we had basically narrowed the definition down to making money by over-working. So, by being on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can be "a success," I guess, says the guy on-call 24 hours a day. This indicates that success comes in direct conflict with building or strengthening relationships. Granted, there are trade-offs and compromise with everything. I can only be so dedicated to skateboarding or tattoos or bikes, because I have time I want to give time to C and Alden and the rest of my family and--uggh--work. C and I have been reflecting on the importance of money lately. I just can't find enjoyment in working a job that is not relevant to my life--spending 8 hours each day of the work week away from home, not doing a thing for myself or my family, except making money. What if I was devoting some of that (day-) time to a large garden, keeping it fertilized, well-watered, properly trimmed and harvested, free of weeds, AND producing year round?!

Even still, accumulating money seems to promise an indefinite (but probably unattainable) amount of satisfaction and the alternative seems very precarious--with happiness no more certain. I'm trying to figure out how to raise a family and give a kid everything I had and more: a daunting task.

[UPDATE: After receiving a few responses about the post above I realize I need to clear one (major) thing up that is less clear than I intended. The definition of success I referred to is not OUR personal vision of success, but it is our perspective of mainstream society's vision of success--which is coming at us from many different angles, including one guy Andy met who was constantly on his phone and who said something about being on it 24 hours a day to get where he was. I don't envy that type of "hard work." The whole post had come about because I don't know how to define success--will it be money I make or save? Will it be maximizing time spent at home, with family, and doing great things for my home and family? Probably the latter, or something similar to it. But more and more I am feeling like I need to solidify my definition of it so I can move in a new direction perhaps. I understand about balancing, compromise, and sacrifice--but I know there has to be a better way where we redefine success, place more value in home & family over careers. I guess I'm literally talking about "doing" versus "spending". You can work a job to make money to buy food (= spending)...or you can grow food (= doing). Then you don't need that amount of money, right?]

Sno

Winter came back today. In retaliation I went to the hardware store and bought some seeds including pole beans, chamomile, lavendar, green onions, parsley, and a big ol' bag of snap peas. A strange mix, for sure... but the rest of my seeds will probably be ordered online and hopefully soon. Until then I'm watching snow fall outside and not enjoying the cold.

Start of the Art

Today I will embark on a painfully slow journey involving a camera and me, everyday, all year long...

C & J are busy preparing a fantastic feast and I'm reveling in the delight of this sunny day, copious amounts of drinks and food, and the periodic breaks I've taken from my laziness to ride my bike around in the street...

A seed catalog arrived in the mail and I've been flipping through, taking mental notes about what herbs, vegetables, and flowers I hope to plant next year. When I finally commit to an order, I'll write out my list...

Happy 2009

No name post

It's a gray Sunday. C has been painting doors. I've been... watching Ebay and growing a doom-errific beard to prepare for the "Gag" show this weekend. Also, practicing my bass lines and drinking beer to get ready. What else? Drinking lots of coffee. Bought the movie "A Mighty Wind"--haha: "Wha' happened?!" Watching football--Bengals are winning... This weekend is the winter solstice--almost halfway done with these short days, right?

I love C--she's been cooking some really awesome stuff lately. I don't think I do enough to repay her for how well she treats me...

C made the point that someday soon Work-life, for everyone, may have to make a compromise of sorts with Self-sufficiency (i.e. making stuff, growing food, etc.). It's a good point. I'm looking forward to next year's garden: more vegetables, stuff to freeze, stuff to share...

Last thought: thesauruses might be better than dictionaries

Winter Wonder

Thanksgiving just passed and it seems like we're moving full speed ahead towards winter. I think this is the reason I've been contemplating, more seriously, how I want to spend my free time. In the summer, there's no question that time should be spent outside, in the garden, on my bike, or with Alden. As the temperatures have dropped, I've found myself in front of the TV more and more. I've managed to find a lot of shows that I enjoy watching. But my conscience has been pestering me to find something better to do. C and I talked about limiting our television time, and instigating a reward system to "earn" time to sit and zone out. I'm struggling with ideas for good alternatives. I would care to crochet another hat--this time for C. Also, I would like to make use of the sewing machine we borrowed from our parents--maybe make some useful winter layers, or convert my old army duffel into a messenger bag... Read a book, maybe? Cook? In the dead of winter, I will hopefully find some motivation to order seeds for next years garden. Maybe I'll make more art...

The distance

In just a matter of time, A Day in the Good Life has shattered the 2000 mark and is plodding its way towards 2030 visitors. I feel like life has been packed full of eventful happenings and the internet has taken a backseat to more urgent matters. The most massive of these priorities has been Alden's flea problem. Fortunately, it's not a huge infestation-size problem--but it is a persistent one and we're going insane trying to find a remedy.

On a positive note, the fleas have kept our minds off the looming financial crisis. Other than our (fixed-rate) mortgage, we don't hold much (if any) debt and all our other assets are cash. I wish I understood better the pro's and con's of the governmental "bail-out." Supposedly it would be bandage the expanding wound that is the collective of our economic problems. Probably, it would be more of a tourniquet. As little as I make sense of it all, I suspect there is some irony in the whole situation. Capitalism is looking for a socialist solution; Wall Street is the new family on Welfare; stocks are the new food stamps; republican economic solutions are the new democrats' massive government. I know these formulas are over-simplified. I also understand that a lot of Republicans are opposed to the proposed bail-out--but I don't know why. The proposal doesn't appear to be a partisan issue. Why are people opposing the bail-out? Are they holding on to laissez-faires economic ideology? Or is it that they just want the bail-out restructured in some other way? What would that plan look like?

I am resisting the urge to get panicked. Carlyn's car is about to kick the bucket, as they say. I've been wondering if, in the name of simplicity, we should trade-in both of our cars for one new one, and learn to live as a one-car household. The question would be, would we get enough in trade to minimize our cost and save enough by eliminating car insurance, that we could afford a car with little to no debt and in fact save money in the long run? Thoughts?
--
In other news:
1. The glasses I ordered (pictured below) were too small so will be returned, just as I will return to search for the perfect pair of vintage frames! Wish me luck...
2. Carlyn's parents invited us to join them in Hocking Hills over the weekend. They rented a chalet with a beautiful hilltop view. We hiked the ~6 mile loop between Cedar Falls and Old Man's Cave--which is at least three times longer than the longest walk Alden has ever completed. He made it the whole way with no complaint! I was super excited and proud of him. Overall, the retreat was much needed and really appreciated.
3. This weekend, Carlyn's mom brought down another shipment of plants from her garden to get us started on our lawn-less landscape. Hopefully by this time next year, our front yard will be exploding with biomass/habitat/food/color!

revival

This is the first weekend in a long time that we didn't have anything planned and it hit me like a car. It's a great feeling to have nothing to do--and it's even better to realize all the things you want to do to fill that time. I spent a lot of Saturday outside, planting some more spinach, kale, cilantro, and a lettuce mix in the garden. Then I performed some heavy-duty overhauling on the cherry tomato plants, pulling off rotten fruit and clipping off spent branches. We were so overwhelmed with cherry tomatoes early in the season that I had been neglecting them over the past few weeks. After that, I plugged in some creeping juniper shrubs and a rhododendron in the front yard. All the while, C painted us a new canvas for our bedroom then painted our front door a refreshing teal color [picture to come].
Sunday morning we met up with J&M for breakfast at North Star downtown. The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning our house like maniacs. I managed to get down to the bike shop to get a fixed gear cog put on my bike. That ish is ridic.
Tonight I also had my first (and maybe only) practice for the soccer team I just joined. Some people from C's office formed a team for the local, indoor, co-ed, "fun" league. I think we're called "The Tools." That should explain how serious we are. Everybody was super nice and it was painfully clear that I really suck at soccer. I think we have enough experienced players that our team will put up a fight each game. I'm sure there will be a lot more to say about all that after games start--Friday nights, starting September 19th.
Currently, I'm exhausted and am going to be disappointed at the lameness of this post when I re-read it tomorrow...
A la prochain

Garden 2008: Successes and Failures

I realized yesterday I should take a minute to jot down some of the many things I've learned from our garden this growing season; successes, failures, and ideas for different approaches to next year's garden. I'm not sure what would be the best model for this entry, and in light of the carpel tunnel I've developed after a few hours of weed-whacking cattails at a local mitigation wetland yesterday, I'll keep it as a brief list that might be expanded on later...

Success
1. We got vegetables! Lots of vegetables. Maybe too many of only a couple varieties (see Failure #1). What was also cool was that this crop is pretty tolerant of the climate without needing lots of maintenance.

2. The seeds were started in good time so that tomatoes were rocking to be put in the ground not long after the last frost and really started growing huge!

Failures
1. We planted too much of only a few things all at the same time. This included 3 zucchini plants, 3 hot jalapa pepper plants, and 6 tomato plants! What?! Are you kidding? Nope. We really did that. It might not have been so overwhelming if we staggered the plantings by about one month. That way, by the time the first plant started closing up shop, a new one would be all fired up. Instead we have ended up with a pile of zucchini and tomatoes, and don't have any more cilantro coming to us this year.

2. (This sort of ties in with Failure #1...) We planted ALL of the seeds of a few varieties of plants. This included all of our tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, spinach, parsley, and cilantro. What we could have done was planted only a few seeds of each (because, as we learned above, we didn't need so much all at one time) and saved the rest to either stagger the plantings to extend the harvest or to use next year and save a good amount of money.

3. We didn't pick the zucchini fast enough. The result: giant zucchini! It is my belief that by letting the fruits grow too big, it sucks lots of nutrients out of the rest of the plant (and the ground) and hurts other fruits that could be produced.

4. We didn't stake the tomatoes or pepper plants early enough which hurt the plants and made it very complicated to finally get the cages around them. Hopefully this will be done at the same time the starts are plugged into the ground!

New Ideas for 2009
1. More vegetables! Here are veggies I would like to try:
- romaine lettuce
- beets
- beans and/or peas
- onions
- edible flowers (i.e. pansies)

2. More structure. It would be cool to have a trellis or a bamboo tepee for certain plants (runner beans) to climb. Maybe a raised section of the bed, or introducing a potted plant, will add an interesting aesthetic...

3. Lots more flowers! Sunflowers especially! Other herbs, like chamomile are pretty and interesting, and fill space well...

4. Try to use organic pesticides or repellents to keep away certain insects (esp. those that like our zucchini!)

Ok. That's all for now...Peas! D