A Night Out, and Veggie Garden

55°f/13°C clear. High of 84°f/29°C expected. 81° as I write this at 3pm. 

After working in gardens and yard all day, we decided to have a night out. We ate dinner before we decided this, but there was live music

 at Taylor's Bookstore in Charleston, and a new Irish pub I have wanted to check out, so we  cleaned up and headed out.

The pub, called Hagy's, was a little disappointing, to be honest. I was hoping for a warm space with lots of wood, but this pub was more modern, with walls a nice shade of green, some contemporary-looking metal art on the walls that I suppose were Celtic symbols, and hard surfaces. The bar was beautiful, though,  a nice thick, rich wood. Service was okay, not particularly warm and welcoming but polite enough. I ordered an Irish coffee, which was very good, and Larry was thrilled that they had Guinness on tap. We checked out the menu, and noted many traditional dishes, like Champ and pasties of all kinds. So we will go back to try those out and hope for a better experience now that we know what to expect. At least they were playing good Irish music. That was nice.

We then went on to Taylor Books, which never disappoints. The vibe there is what I hoped for at the pub: eclectic furnishings, wood floor, deep red trim on the walls, a nice crowd of people of all ages and kinds. Wine and beer are $5 a glass, and free live music. And books, lots and lots of books both new and used, and art everywhere. They even have an underground theater where Indie movies are shown.

We chose a half-round booth which could actually seat 5, but it was soft and we were tired and decided age gave us a little privilege. Over the course of the evening various young people sat with us, and we had some very enjoyable conversations. The music was great, kind of swing with bluegrass overtones. 

We stayed until after 10 before beginning the hour-long drive home.

Today I've talked with my sons and had a long visit with Derek, who came for breakfast and stayed to chat on the porch. Perfect. Then I was back in the garden. I tilled it yesterday, 2 1/2 hours of jouncing along behind the tiller, and today I went back over it again. This evening, I hope, we can get some corn and beans planted. Rain is forecast tomorrow,  so if we can get some things in the ground that would be nice. At least I am now easy in my mind about the garden because once the ground is ready, planting is a simple matter.

It's hard to get a photo of the whole of this long, narrow garden. Here you can see the pale green lettuce to the center right, but can't see the kale and small patches of spinach, radishes, and chard. There is a row of onions in there too. Tomato plants are in the straw-covered area.

My trusty steed. Behind it to the left, peas are slowly growing on the trellis, there are onions in front of that and rhubarb under it. At the top are the leeks I planted last fall, ready to use now. Just behind the tiller I will plant summer squash and zucchini.

On this upper end I'd cabbage and broccoli, with the row of purple asparagus just visible behind them. We will plant cucumbers on this trellis; right now that's weeds you see at the base of the trellis. Pmanning on onions behind the asparagus,  garlic in front of it. Then corn in front of the cabbages, flowers behind them.

In the center front will be peppers and maybe squash. Celery will go in under the trellis.

Wishing all of you who wear the badge Mother a happy, beautiful day! 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.