Today's Thinnings, Awesome Mother's Day Gifts

Our daughter is a floral designer, and surprised me Friday by having this beautiful arrangement she put together for me delivered to me at work.  After reading her nice note, I was teary as I walked down the hall with the flowers.  (I chose the pic with a plate of food over the one with unfolded towels in a laundry basket.)

Our grandson likes the area where we put one of the two rain barrels his mom, our daughter-in-law made for me for Mother's Day.  I was so excited, because I've been wanting to get one for a long time, and now I have two!  (At his last check up, the doctor asked what his favorite toy is, and they said he likes brooms.  He also likes his rake, but prefers using it on the cement.)

This is my favorite time of the year, when fresh salads can be had daily from the thinnings of the greens.  I plant several kinds of lettuce, mesclun mixes, kale, spinach, radishes, and this year, some turnip greens, which are starting to bloom.  

This bachelor button was appreciative of the cover over the "gamble garden", and has started blooming ahead of the others, most of which are half the size of this one.

The beets, onions, and lettuce are growing nicely.  

I was going to title this post, "Less Dirt Showing", but there is still plenty of dirt showing.  This kale is a plain kind.  I'm enjoying the variety out of this row of mesclun.

I'm still thinning the buttercrunch lettuce, which are forming nicely.

I have been keeping up well with succession planting this year.  This bed is coming along nicely, too.  The plant in the upper right is larkspur.

I can't remember what I planted here next to the spinach, but it may be romaine or more buttercrunch lettuce.

I didn't get everything done I wanted to today, but it was a great day.  I am so excited about my rain collectors!