This weekend we didn’t spend a lot of time cooking a whole meal: it was really hot and we got invited to barbecues both Saturday and Sunday night.  (Thank you Patrick, Virginia & Wyeth: we are definitely trying to recreate your potatoes; and thank you Russ & Erica: we are definitely trying to recreate your grilled lamb).  We did make dessert for both barbecues, and lunch for the family on Sunday.  But most of the time we weren’t in the pool, or playing soccer, we had to plant our garden.  Wow.  Who knew that planting a garden would be such a reptile adventure.  We started off well enough, but then: Yikes. Baby Snake under the weed cloth:

We managed to gently shoo it out of the garden and planted zinnias, peas, carrots and potatoes (that was Saturday).  Then we took a break to go swimming and make brownies for Patrick & Virginia.

The next morning we went out bright and early to the garden and there was this large black mound at the garden fence.  We investigated and discovered an enormous snapping turtle (like a foot long!).  Not only that but it was laying eggs (in front of OUR garden).  We helped it a little by misting it with water and untangling its leg from the weed cloth.  After it buried its eggs, it went back to our lake.  We are excited about watching the eggs hatch, although a little nervous about having a garden full of snapping turtles.

Finally (after the turtle left), we got to plant: we planted zucchini, more peas, kale, pumpkins, sunflowers, lettuce and more kale. Whew it was hot, hard work (Mom did a lot of it…)

Here is the final result (doesn’t look like much yet…but things don’t grow overnight. 🙂

To thank mom for her help in the garden, we made chilaquiles for her.

She loved then and Dad went back for thirds!!!