Gardens (and neighbors) of Delight

Well, you remember when I took this out in the garden saying hello to our neighbour, M. Riere, and he was just beginning to prepare his soil for spring and as you see, it was a chilly day in the late winter and zilch is growing except for a few leftover little whatever they ares and so I thought I would show you what that same piece of barren turf looks like NOW:

And as he does so often, he bestows upon us baskets of eggplant, tomatoes (we have a few but not like THAT), sweet red peppers and potatoes.  In fact, he is such a bestower that he grows this amazing amount of food so that he can share it with the neighbors and his tenants who come in the summer.

I must say that for a really awful growing season this year, M. Riere has done wonders.  Plus he likes me because I go out and prowl around, watching him plant and reap, and he always says, ‘Bonjour, Loulou.”

“BONJOUR, LOULOU”

A proper French greeting, which I love.  And I say to him, “Bonjour, Jean,” because of course we are on a first-name basis after so many years.

And this is Christine and Jean, such special voisins (neighbors).

A lovely way to start one’s day.

I munch on weeds while they garden.  This is one of mama’s four weeds that she saves for me.  And why are there no weeds?  Because of MULCH, thanks to Ruth Stout’s book, “How To Have A Green Thumb Without An Aching Back”, which I have mentioned before and which mama read years ago before gardening at all and has followed ever since.  Mulch, mulch, mulch and then mulch again.  You’ll see wonders.

But, as usual, gardening wears me OUT!