Hope for Spring

Our weather here in NW Iowa has been ridiculously nice this November.  October was a little dicey, but November, well couldn't ask for better.  And in my mind, that just means less winter to endure and that is a good thing. 

Soooo, we got rather adventurous one weekend and planted some tulips.  I have never planted a tulip in my life and being of Dutch heritage, there must have been some sort of genetic mix-up in my DNA that has made it so.  Also lacking in my DNA is the propensity to garden.  I am a farmer's daughter. My mom likes to garden.  My grandma has one of the greenest thumbs in the tri-state area.  I got nothing.  The Captain thought it would be a good family bonding time.  Turns out it was.

Here's the Captain looking all Iowa farmer-ish.  Don't think my Dad ever wore sweatpants and sneakers when he farmed, but then again we're talking tulips and not field corn here.   I think it is totally appropriate to plant tulips in sweatpants.  A new day has come. 

If I were famous and I needed more money and more endorsement deals, I would create my own scent and call it Iowa Black Dirt.  Love that smell.  As long as it doesn't mix with Iowa Cow and Hog Poop.

  That scent is just a bit overwhelming.

We had to do some negotiating for job positions.  I did design and layout and was the roving candid photographer.  The Captain did the prep-work, refereed, and became the official bulb planter expert.

  He then passed on his skill to Marissa.  They got so good at it that for the last few bulbs, they could remove a whole bulb-planter full of dirt at the appropriate depth of 6 to eight inches, in one fell swoop.

 Miss Maren got a little frustrated with the bulb planter ( though not without lack of effort or determination and much whining and tears) and finally gave in to being the color coordinator. We had yellow and pink tulips and she handed out the appropriate alternating color to the hole diggers and would help drop the bulb in pointy side up and fill in the dirt.  She is a great color coordinator. Note the pink shirt with the frilly pink bow.  She dressed herself that morning and said " Mom, do you think this is too boyish to plant tulips?")

Here are some things I learned that day:

Enjoy every single minute of your children being this age.  Time goes too fast.  Even Iowa winters.

Just say no to crack.  (she is gonna hate me for this one day)

And any gardening task can be accomplished with a little fun and cooperation.

Who knows, maybe next Spring we will actually plant a garden. We'll have to see how the tulips come up.  I'll keep you posted.