Hiding Places

I have a vision of how my season of gardening will go...I'll be outside pulling weeds, harvesting veggies and Vera will be playing quietly under the cherry tree.  Ha!  Let's hope.  So far she's proven to need constant supervision because she loves to taste rocks, sticks, and maple tree spinners and go down the stairs by herself (can't wait for that new fence!)  But I can dream--I made a mini teepee so I can at least offer her a shaded place to play (or nap???) while we're outside.  The green fabric was part of the lot that I picked up at the thrift store.  It had the most yardage of anything I dug through that was reasonable for this project so I grabbed it.  Vera will get used to the color.  Maybe when she's an adult she'll even say, "I remember the green teepee I used to have."  I think green will be kind of fun, I just hope it won't soak up too much sun.  Once I purchased the PVC pipe with end caps, and practically got the fabric for free, I figured I spent about $12 on it, not counting the hour or two it took me to make it.  Similar teepees retail for $40+ and I've seen many for upwards of $200.  So even if Vera only fits in it for a season or two, I'll get my money's worth.  I'm excited that I could make her another toy myself.

We're getting some great rain this week, which will really make everything pop outside.  So far the forsythias are the most noticeable in our neighborhood.  They will always remind me of the forsythia bushes blooming between our house and Vera Schrader's house on 4 Mile Rd. in Racine (that's who our Vera is named after.)  I took some garden pictures the other day as the rhubarb, garlic, chives, and sorrel were pushing through and just a day or two later I had to take new shots because they'd grown so much.  These photos are a couple of days old so it's already changed again.  I love seeing all the new growth every day in early spring.  My garden seeds are already popping through as well.  By the weekend we may have some visible rows of greens.