Growing

Lately, it seems like everything has been growing, or getting busier for that matter. From my schedule, to my stomach, to the weeds in the yard. As expected, my waistline has been growing, and a bit more rapidly as I cruise through 21 weeks. I have adopted the maxi dress look for the summer, which seems to be on the more flattering side and less on the “wide load” side of the clothing spectrum. As for the baby, he or she (which we’re keeping a surprise) must be taking a self-taught karate class because there’s movement non-stop in there. I didn’t think I’d be able to see my stomach actually move at this point, but it’s pretty incredible to actually see the tossing and turning going on. Come to think of it, maybe it’s gonna be a girl and she’s rearranging her room in there every day, kinda like me when I was 12.

My photography business, work schedule and summer party agenda have also been getting busier, which is not a bad thing, but keeping it all straight is the tricky part. Instead of being a professional photographer, I should think about becoming a professional bridal/baby shower shopper. In terms of our house, I have to say the weeds have really been impressing me lately. We’ve gone without rain for a month, the lawn has gone dormant, but the weeds persevere and I can’t even bring myself to pull them (mainly because the ground is too hard) but because some are standing at a foot tall, all prickly and mean looking.

But what’s more impressive is my tiny, potted garden. When I received it as a housewarming gift, I thought about how I love getting new plants, and remembered how I love to kill them. There’s something about me that makes a plant want to move on to the after life. Could be under-nurturing or over-nurturing, who knows. But this little guy has flourished. Well, enough to give me a fair size salad each week or so, and what was once two small tomatoes has turned into seven and one has just finally turned red two days ago. This is probably the most anticipated tomato I’ve ever eaten, so it better be good. I look at this thing more than my growing derriere, and that’s saying something lately.

Ripe tomato

Update: My first tomato tasted great! I plucked my second tomato already and immediately after I noticed five new tomatoes have sprouted from the top. I didn’t realize these things multiply like gremlins.

Well, that’s my growth report.

Bits and Pieces

Living on a farm in Wisconsin, during the tail end of winter I might add, is quite different from the Florida house and tiny backyard from which we came from three short weeks ago. I’m up to my ears in mud (so is the dog), and I’ve never gone through so many socks in a one-week timeframe. But when life hands you mud, you get taller galoshes.

Despite the minor adjustments, we’re pretty settled and overjoyed to be home. And it just so happens that our current, temporary home is a pretty historical one. We’re living on my great grandparent’s farm, which became my grandparent’s home that my father grew up on as well. And that lead to my brother and I spending a great deal of time on the farm every summer as kids. People ask me what it’s like living here, and it’s hard to explain the feeling in just one word.

I will say my husband and I are nothing but grateful that we can stay here while we search for our permanent address, and I often wonder how coincidental it is that we ended up here. A lot of people say my grandmother would be proud, and I’d have to say I agree.

I thought about how I would share this place of so many great memories, and I decided to share the small bits and pieces that made this house so full of character instead of showing you room by room with the furniture we’ve recently inserted and the boxes we still haven’t unpacked.

You might see old, but I see memories at every turn…

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