We put the Southwestern nana and papa to work just like we did Sarah's parents during their visit last month. They don't seem to mind, either. They just keep coming.
Nana did her part watching so that no grandchild ruptured a vertebrate or cracked open a skull while scaling two flights of beach house stairs.
Later, she and papa watched Claire while Sarah and I escaped for a rare dinner out, alone! We hit a cafe we hadn't visited in years and sat outside. I ordered a Manhattan, Sarah a glass of gamay. Back home, Claire tended her papa's beard.
Papa volunteered to apply his green thumb to our raised bed. At the farmer's market, we bought several types of heirloom tomato starts -- Red and Yellow Brandywines, Valencia, a black variety, and, of course, Green Zebra. Sarah picked out several varieties of peppers and both white and purple eggplants. 
Papa set to work planting, feeding, erecting walls of water and laying out the drip irrigation system. It's starting to look like an actual garden.
Claire also demanded Papa's artistic services at her new easel, donated by good friend Xia-Li. Papa proved quite adept at finger painting. 
It's almost as if he'd done it before. 
Despite all this, the grandparents left talking of when they might see us again. In their part of the world, that is. Maybe our forced labor strategy is working.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Nana & Papa do their part
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2 comments:
"Few things in life are as satisfying as a garden (greenhouse) abundant in produce." What a pleasure you will have harvesting all those tomatoes, herbs, beats, peppers, arugula, egg plant, etc. in time. I hope no more walls-of-water collapse and your pet doesn't dig up any plants trying to get at the fish emulsion. In fact, I expect the red worms to make a lot of castings for your compost. Having a garden is in your genes as generations of Hansons, Hunsbergers, Yoders, Morfords, & Fields can atest.
We don't care whose part of the world we meet in next time. Just make it soon. I KNOW it's easier for us to travel than for the three of you. I enjoyed hanging out with Claire and love to see her as she grows up. Thank you for taking us to the Portland Farmer's Market and feeding us so well.
Nana
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