THE BIG BIRTHDAY/GARDEN POST

this was taken friday, when i had my "nana & papa" party. the cake informs you how old i am.


then saturday night, my friends julie, brad & morgan brought my strawberry shortcake, which was not radioactive, although the eerie glow in this picture implies that it was.


stormy gave me some birthday eve snuggles. she likes to be held like a baby, which is immensely endearing.


on my birthday, david & i started putting together the garden. we're using the square foot gardening method, which uses raised beds that are short, so they need to be filled with a special mix. the trailer park office people liked that we wouldn't have to dig, which is why we went through the trouble of buying all of this:


...which we then had to mix on a giant tarp. we also had to wear bandanas to keep the dust out of our noses. it was around this time when brett, rose, and the kids stopped by, asking, "are you guys playing cowboys & indians?"


they brought me a strawberry plant, and a group hug. rose's 6 year old is tiny, and behind me, so you cannot see him. the one who had dyed his hair purple the day before is my godson.


nana & papa also stopped by, to bring me a watering can, and they met stormy.





and then we got back to work. we built the beds the week before, and laid them out with weed cloth underneath.


then we filled the beds...


...and nailed on these lathes, to make a grid.


the finished product:



for dinner, we had a driveway cookout. grilling and cutting hair are two of my favorite driveway activities.


here are my cards. spot the theme.


and lastly, the loot. my presents: a strawberry plant from brett, rose & the kids, a gnome birdfeeder & "colorful bird birdseed mix" from david, a watering can from my grandparents (one i used when i lived with them!), windchimes from david's mom, and strawberry shortcake from julie.  i like what my presents say about me.  about 10 years ago, people just got me incense & candles, even though i wasn't allowed to burn them in my room.  it said, "you sort of seem like a hippie, but we don't really know you that well".   these say something quite different, and i like it.  i like my older self. 

i'm happy to start my 27th year.