The Joys of Gardening!
We became earth-movers for a day.......! Hours of digging, filling buckets, carrying, and dumping, and we finally had a relatively well-sloped and raised-bed garden to plant. The kids were troupers!
Planting the garden
Stomping down the pathways to discourage weed growth.
The "Pit" we dug for our compost pile --and to catch any stray tigers.
Ten days later after a week of rain.........
- a few plants peeking through.
.......and a carpet of weeds!
We've been told that weeds make a very good crop here.
(That is the back of the church in the background.)
Our new strawberry patch which John is very proud of (if you can see the strawberries for the weeds!) They are already flowering and the kids have counted three green strawberries so far!
Just this week--- the kids out in their new Vietnamese hats weeding their self-assigned patches. I told them I didn't think they knew what they were asking for, but hey, go ahead!!! If you double-click on the picture you can see some of James' slow progress.
The Vietnamese hats are a very special gift. When we first arrived here, the mother of Kotaro and Koshien (the two boys close to our kids' ages) took us to the store to help us buy things. She knows some English and has been a great help to us. Well, John needed a hat, but none in the store were big enough to fit him. (a big head???) Unbeknownst to us, Biren-san went home and told her husband this. He in turn went on a search for Vietnamese hats for all of us. He went to a nearby Vietnamese restaurant to inquire how to get them, who referred him to the Vietnamese consulate in Japan. From there he ordered the hats from Vietnam and wait for them to be shipped over. Then a few weeks ago, Biren-san surprised us when she approached us with the gift of hats and told the story of how her husband got them. Amazing! And all are one-size-fits-all, even John's head!
The Vietnamese hats are a very special gift. When we first arrived here, the mother of Kotaro and Koshien (the two boys close to our kids' ages) took us to the store to help us buy things. She knows some English and has been a great help to us. Well, John needed a hat, but none in the store were big enough to fit him. (a big head???) Unbeknownst to us, Biren-san went home and told her husband this. He in turn went on a search for Vietnamese hats for all of us. He went to a nearby Vietnamese restaurant to inquire how to get them, who referred him to the Vietnamese consulate in Japan. From there he ordered the hats from Vietnam and wait for them to be shipped over. Then a few weeks ago, Biren-san surprised us when she approached us with the gift of hats and told the story of how her husband got them. Amazing! And all are one-size-fits-all, even John's head!
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