Let's talk numbers

Let's talk some numbers:
17.
That's the number of days until the school year ends. Of course there's a lot to do before that date, but that's another train of thought....
Here's another number:
29.
Now that's an exciting number. That's the number of days until Russ and I close on our first ever house. That's right, 29 days and we will be--if all goes well--very happy homeowners.

We are so filled with eager anticipation over this event it's been hard to contain ourselves. We've already done several drive by's of our new house- and I swear we get a thrill of excitement every time we see the Sold! sign sitting on the front lawn that will soon be ours. Our conversations lately revolve around what we'll leave behind....all the parts of apartment living that are just a bit incovenient.

Like the speed bumps. To get to our current apartment you have to go over six speed bumps. We'll be happy to leave that behind. And the fact that to get rid of our garbage we have to put it in our car, drive over to the dumpster, walk around the mounds of furniture the inconsiderate tenants have left laying around despite rather large signs warning them not to do so, and throw--no heave--it into the dumpster. We won't miss that either.

Don't get me wrong, this apartment is actually quite nice. There are several positive features, including easy access to a bike path that I have recently enjoyed run/walking on....and it will hold a special spot in my heart. It is, after all, where I lived when I became a wife to an amazing man. But we are ready to move on...

This weekend, I got to do something to prepare for the upcoming move into our house. Something I've been itching to do for quite some time now. I planted seeds! Yes! I am going to start a garden! Actually, I've already started one, as evidenced by the seed starter pots that are currently strewn all across my postage stamp sized deck. I'm so excited about this activity I can barely stand it....I loved gardening with my Dad when I was a little girl and now have visions of digging and weeding, planting and pruning in the sunshine, surrounded by birds and crickets seranading me as I look out over the gorgeous lake that is part of our backyard.

So far I've planted tons of seeds: cucumbers, buttercrunch lettuce (my favorite and normally only available at my father's garden), romaine lettuce, parsley, zucchini, chili peppers (Russ' request), basil, thyme, cilantro....and a handful of different flowers-courtesy of my mother in law. Oh, and at my parent's house I have rosemary and tomatoes. Waiting in the wings are pepper plants and sugar snap peas, and maybe another variety of basil or some other kinds of lettuce. I might even get some sage from my Dad if he can swing it....I'm not sure what I'll do with all of these veggies, especially since my husband doesn't really like vegetables...but he does like salad and I definitely planted the vegetables needed for that! Admittedly, I was worried that things wouldn't actually grow--hence the desire to plant lots and lots of stuff. I figure my odds of actually growing something increase with the more I plant. If everything ends up growing-well, at least I'll learn how to thin out plants!

Here's hoping my green thumb prevails, and the lessons I learned gardening with my Dad as a little girl serve me well as I plant my own garden and watch it grow.....