Gardening - oh the Pain!

It's past that time of year once again!

The garden bug has hit. I am ashamed to admit that I have avoided the garden for about a year now. And it looks it, too. There is one area, just to the west of the stairs leading up and into the house that has laid fallow for a couple of years. Part of it is in shade a goodly part of the day, and the water system kind of by-passes it. But, it does get really good afternoon sun, and I'm going to throw some easy to grow veggies in there. Our backyard has too many trees and shade, and there is just no where to put veggies back there. The tree roots are very close to the surface, and they're everywhere.

So, I'm going against tradition and putting in some peppers, tomatoes and basil out in the front. I know I am risking that they they won't do super well, but I just want to get things going this season, and I'll do a better job of planning it out next season. I'm sure we'll get enough for our family to enjoy the fruits of labor.

Then there's the pain. All the time while I'm dredging up the soil, pulling weeds and just bending over here and there, I'm concentrating on keeping my core muscles engaged. Especially my belly. Oi! What a chore. As it is, my back still hurts, but I don't think quite so much as usual. Working out 3-5 times a week really has helped strengthen the support musculature. It never seems like I can do enough though. It always seems to be weak. I want my muscles so strong that my back never hurts, GDit! I can hope. Hope springs eternal. And all that.

It's been really busy around here, so the rose garden in the back has been mightily neglected as well. Here's a small peak at it - because otherwise you'd keel over in a faint if you saw the size of them humongous weeds. Click on the pictures to enlarge.