It's my excuse to get to play in the dirt. When I was a kid, playing in the dirt was one of my favorite activities. I was rewarded with a Narragansett Indian arrowhead and bragging rights to the deepest hole dug by any kid in Rhode Island. My brother and I were seriously attempting to dig all the way to the other side of the earth and surprise the kids in China. The hole got so big, that as I was crouched inside it , digging away, my brother couldn't quite see me (or so he says) and his hoe came down hard on my head, resulting in a trip to the emergency room and several stitches.
I'm really excited about the dirt I get to play in this year. We added rose soil and Black Cow Composted Manure to the clay gumbo. Carl (Grandpa Carl) tilled it in with our 30 year old tiller and really felt his age after trying to get it to start. It's the greatest dirt ever! I add bone meal to the holes where I plant the tomatoes. My garden is long and narrow so I never have to step in it. Another tip, in case you get inspired to garden from my wonderful photo, is to work some bone meal into the hole where you plant tomatoes and any other veggies. I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, leaf lettuce, and zucchini squash. The garden's been in not quite a week, and the lettuce is already up.
Two new baby doves! Mama was away finding food for them. Notice the unhatched egg in the nest. 
Mama is back. The babies sure needed her last night when the temperatures plunged down into the 40's, very unusual for mid April in Texas. Just went outside to check on the babies -- they are huddled close to each other while Mama is away finding breakfast. The babies need names, so I'm asking the grandkids to think of names for these little ones, and we will have a contest, with Uncle TaTa picking the winners. I'll post the winning names later in the week.
