xtcian

Yes, and what a fabulously entertaining grandmother you are!!!!!
The pics are beautiful, and good luck with all the projects in the works.

*hrmmm* Nothing wrong with those blogs grandmothers write! ;-)

Wonderful that you photo-documented this. (And that first pic of Lucy is gorgeous -- those EYES!)

You are right about soil by the sea. We did a raised tiny veggie garden this summer with enriched and leavened soil for our first full gardening season in this home, and it was semi-successful. Peppers -- fuggedaboudit. Herbs: huge. Cucumbers: good in the early season, not so much later. The smaller tomatoes, especially those sweet orange cherry tomatoes, did best here, so I'm planting several of those next year and skipping the big ones -- the farmer a mile inland from us can do much better, and I like stopping at the farm stand.

To make this a granny post: Our then 2.5 year old granddaughter developed her first love of tomatoes this past summer from picking the cherry tomatoes and miniature Italian plum tomatoes from our backyard vines. Her mom was amazed; at home Caroline wouldn't touch them. But "Nana's tomatoes" proved the charm. Nothing like fresh off the vine.

Hmmm . . . Ian as a grandmother. Sounds like a Halloween costume for 2009 to me.

I think it's great that you're taking the time and effort to teach Lucy about where the food on her plate comes from. I've never known of a child that didn't love planting and growing vegetables for the table.

I'm rapidly approaching forty years old and I still can't smell a tomato straight off the vine without remembering my Pappaw. He used to take me to the garden to ride the tractor and he always had two things in his pocket: a pocket knife and a salt shaker. After working for a while, he would peel the skin off of a tomato in one long strip and serve up slices of tomato with just a little salt. When I smell fresh tomatoes now, I'm five years old again, standing in the garden with warm tomato juice dripping off of my chin and a huge smile on my face. It's like summer distilled.

I hope I can give my children the same sort of memories.

"late-summer salt"? Please explain

Your veggies are utterly beautiful. I have a request, though; as a diehard citydweller married to someone rather tired of subways and grime, can you please stop posting such lovely photos? Museums and excellent restaurants have enough trouble competing with fresh air and quiet during our dinnertime conversations without gigantic pumpkins and fresh vegetables and herbs. It's very, very hard for a foodie to argue against fresh vegetables and herbs.

"late-summer salt" = just a turn of phrase

I just have to say how impressed I am with your pumpkins. I remember being there when you planted the seeds. you must pass on the secrets to your green thumb. I am currently looking at yet another plant that I have some how managed to kill.

Sometimes I think I should *only* write about my gardening, but then, even my mom would probably stop reading my blog. Still, it is endlessly interesting for me, and I too am so delighted that Lucy is continuing the tradition of a love of growing things. Whenever I come there in the summer loaded with tomatoes from my garden, I always delight in how she seems to crave them almost as much as lollipops.

Danielle, you really should try any kind of squash- summer, winter, pumpkin. They are extremely hardy and will give you a wonderful sense of accomplishment. However, you need a pretty big bit of earth to make it happen, because they become monsters.