Well, today was the day we've been dreading. We've almost lived through it, though. It was the first picking of the mega garden peas. Caleb is at scout camp, and Russ had to get ready to leave for work, so Emily, Hannah, Joshua, and I each took a row. Russ weeded for part of the time we were picking.
Our neighbor, Pam Angus, came out to pick a few to eat fresh. The garden is behind her house on their property.
I was in the lead as we picked down the rows, but near the end I started to get really sick of being out there in the sun picking those peas and I slowed down. 
Matthew was crying and saying he wanted me to take him home, 
and Emily was also crying because she wasn't feeling very well. She came to do her duty and pick anyway--what a great daughter! At this point we were all saying "Hang in there!"
Joshua finished first, then Hannah, then Emily, and I finished last. When I got back to the house, we had lunch, then Hannah shelled peas while watching what she calls a Brady Bunch marathon. We have the DVD's. It took her 5 episodes to shell the peas she picked. I was avoiding it and doing other stuff, but when Hannah finished I thought I'd better get back on it. I shelled Joshua's peas, and it only took me two episodes. I haven't done the sugar snap peas yet, but that's how I plan to spend the evening. There is one five-gallon bucket full of those.
Our neighbor, Pam Angus, came out to pick a few to eat fresh. The garden is behind her house on their property. I found out a couple of days ago that two of the rows are sugar snap/snow peas, and the other two rows are regular peas. It took us a little over three hours to pick them all. We didn't start until about 8:30am, unfortunately. I usually like to start earlier because it heats up pretty fast on a July morning.
Katie, Molly, and Matthew were there, but they didn't do much picking. They were playing and hiding in the tall potatoes and corn.
They also brought the kittens to the garden and were feeding them grasshoppers. 
Sometimes the kittens catch them on their own, but they do better if someone catches them and pulls their back legs off. Gross, I know. I only did it twice, and then I said no more. I figured it was training for their mouse catching when they get a little older. They play with the grasshoppers just like bigger cats play with the mice before they eat them.
They also brought the kittens to the garden and were feeding them grasshoppers. Sometimes the kittens catch them on their own, but they do better if someone catches them and pulls their back legs off. Gross, I know. I only did it twice, and then I said no more. I figured it was training for their mouse catching when they get a little older. They play with the grasshoppers just like bigger cats play with the mice before they eat them. I was in the lead as we picked down the rows, but near the end I started to get really sick of being out there in the sun picking those peas and I slowed down. Matthew was crying and saying he wanted me to take him home, and Emily was also crying because she wasn't feeling very well. She came to do her duty and pick anyway--what a great daughter! At this point we were all saying "Hang in there!"Joshua finished first, then Hannah, then Emily, and I finished last. When I got back to the house, we had lunch, then Hannah shelled peas while watching what she calls a Brady Bunch marathon. We have the DVD's. It took her 5 episodes to shell the peas she picked. I was avoiding it and doing other stuff, but when Hannah finished I thought I'd better get back on it. I shelled Joshua's peas, and it only took me two episodes. I haven't done the sugar snap peas yet, but that's how I plan to spend the evening. There is one five-gallon bucket full of those.Provident living is hard work, but it is good for us--YES! IT BUILDS CHARACTER, RIGHT?! And all of us agree that we like to eat, so I know that later we will be glad we did it!
4 comments:
Wow! That is great! Are you canning the peas, freezing, drying etc? What a huge job! Our chickens finally started laying. Fun! I was just called as Provident Living leader in my ward. I am excited because I love all that do it yourself stuff!!
Wow. That's amazing. I'm tired just watching you. You will love the peas during the winter.
The peas are being frozen, and we are also eating a lot of the sugar snap peas fresh. We had a stimulating discussion over Sunday dinner about whether it was thrifty to spend so much time on a crop that gives such a small return. I said we had to take into account the character we were building, and the trouble we were staying out of because we were busy picking peas! Now that's worth it! ;)
Wow. what a busy day! I too love peas and wish the dirt was worth planting a garden in here. I would love to have a small garden, but it's all just sand. I'm glad you're building character in the kids I know they'll appreciate it later. I hated moving sprinkler pipes and pulling rye and working on the farm, but it has helped me to be a good worker. And I appreciate the stuff that I do get even more.
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