Nature abounds today.

This weekend has been very Oregon. It's been unseasonably cold (about 45-50) and drizzling rain most of the time. This, of course, has been my weekend to start the garden. So far in the garden space I have planted a zesty salad mix, a mild salad mix and some leeks. Turns out the soil in this part of the yard is hard and clay-y, so I am hoping these guys will fare well, and for the next plants in those areas I will have to be more prepared with better soil on hand.



I also started some seeds inside for cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers. I have heard that tomatoes don't fare well in the Pacific Northwest, but I think that has to do with larger beefsteak type tomatoes and the fact that our summers are not really long or really warm. So I picked a faster maturing and smaller tomato hoping to even things out.

So, I am feeling very natural today. I spent a good chunk of today and yesterday with my hands in the dirt. I found lots and lots of grubs and earthworms. (They are slimy). Working outside and using my body felt really good. Plus it was raining and I just had to deal with it, which felt nice too. It's good every once in a while to break of your air conditioned life and just live with the elements. If only for an afternoon.

Another bit of nature made it into my house today too. A mouse. A big mouse. And my cats liked him too. They batted him around in the house a bit until we got him in a box and outside. But then the cats found him outside and incapacitated him, but didn't kill him. They left him slowly dying on my stoop and came inside to rest up and eat. It was gross and I felt bad. But I let the kitties back out and they batted the mouse around a bit more and did kill it, which is good so I didn't have to do it. But they have left it on the stoop and have gone off to play. Those damn ungrateful kids. I guess it's a gift of sorts. They do leave their toy mice on my pillow sometimes, which is much cuter than a real one....