Yes, I know it’s not even spring yet. This is last year’s second summer wreath that I never blogged. It was still so sunny and gorgeous after the rosemary wreath drooped that I wanted something that would stay bright and happy. So we made this out of toilet paper and paper towel rolls, which Dandelionboy had a great time painting.

Yes, it’s been almost a year since I posted, but nobody blogs anymore right? Anyway, I’ve been busy. I made a human! Welcome baby Kepi — two months old yesterday and cute as a button.

I have a huge backlog of crafty goodness to share and am currently obsessed with this year’s garden plan. More soon (I think).

I’m always looking for new ways to celebrate the passing of the seasons with Dandelionboy. He may live in an urban neighborhood and already use an iPad better than I do, but I really want him to feel connected to the earth and love the outdoors. Inspired by all the cool wreath ideas I keep seeing on Pinterest, I decided to start a new tradition of making a new wreath for our entryway each solstice and equinox. We started today by making a summer solstice wreath out of rosemary, lavender, a bit of vintage rickrack, and various additions Sagan was delighted to clip from the shrubs and ivy next to our house. I think it’s pretty good for a first attempt!

The P-Patch community garden has been working out great, happily taking up whatever time we can spare, and serving as one more reason why I hardly ever post on this blog.

Our garden mates are lovely people and far more experienced than we are. They seem to tolerate/appreciate my newbie enthusiasm and frequent ignorance, and they dote on Dandelionboy.

It’s wonderful how much space we share and how much produce is already coming out of there — not to mention the established and ever-expanding herb and flower beds. Here’s my dorky map, including numbered veggie beds that are now almost fully planted with beets, brussel sprouts, chard, squash, zucchini, lettuces, kale, broccoli, beans, and other goodness.

And here are Ben’s panoramic collages from a few weeks ago, giving a little glimpse to how wonderful the potential is.

I’m making progress on my goal of having enough succulents of different varieties to be able to make wreaths like this for myself and as gifts.

Source: prudentbaby.com via Joriel on Pinterest

Behold my collection, happily toasting in the windowsill.

Succulents are the perfect plants – gorgeous, virtually infinite in variety and color, and nearly impossible to kill. All I need is more windowspace!

I got an email from the Seattle P-Patch community garden program! After being on their waiting list for more than two years (maybe three? I’m not sure), it looks like we might get to join the Pelican Tea Collective Garden. That’s the one that’s tucked behind Fuel Coffee and Kingfish Cafe on 19th Ave here in Capitol Hill. We’ve been calling it the “secret garden” since we discovered it when Sagan was a baby.

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I’m waiting for details and hoping that a dozen people didn’t respond before I did. We wouldn’t get our own plot because it’s all communal, so I’m not sure exactly how the planning and planting process works, but I’m optimistic. DandelionBoy and I have been really really really wanting to work a bit of land. We planted a little container garden on our back patio a couple weeks ago, even taking a chance on some shade-tolerant veggies (carrots, kale, and mizuna lettuces). It’s been a lot of fun, but some of them are already looking peaked. There’s just not enough sun back there! Fingers crossed…

I saw this image on a sticker a long while back, and I decided there should be a word for when you add roots or branches to something else, or otherwise make something like a tree. Like anthropomorphize, but for trees instead of people. The obvious choice was “arbormorphic” and, not surprisingly, it’s already in use and I just couldn’t recall hearing it before. Here’s an example of something cool, geeky, and  arbormorphic.