Digging In

There's no reason for Grandma to do any of the heavy lifting when the first grade is around.

They are willing to help, certain that we can do it!

Even when they got stuck in the mud, they were undaunted.

Coordinated pushing to a three count, and we were on our way.

I found a half price gomphrena at Rillito Nursery this morning.  This member of the alium family reminds me of Dr. Seuss's truffula trees in The Lorax, one of books I read to the kindergartens, so I snapped up the bargain and asked the bigger kids to dig a bigger hole so that it could live in Grandma's Garden until its permanent home is ready to receive it.   

The lantana needed to be separated and one planted in its own, personal pot.

The gardeners have paid attention; they were gentle around the roots, taking care with the trowels and the small shovels.   

The giant shovel was a late addition to the party.

It was tapped ever so gently far away from the plant itself.

After 6 grades cycled through, we'd also watered and raked and filled the first raised bed.

We have garlic dill (quite tasty) and flowers and white onions and red onions and aloe vera, all separated into neat rows by the rocks the art classes painted for us last year.  We had fun watering  the new additions and each other..... with the hose on gentle no one got too wet and no plant drowned.  It was 97 in the shade; we dried off quickly.

The morning ended with a founding member of Grandma's Garden sharing her teeny tiny lizard.

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

I know because I heard someone say so.  I don't know to whom it was said or who said it, I just heard the words:

I love the garden.