Adventure in the new Mommy Mobile and Garden Planning

We got a minivan yesterday!  It's a Honda Odyssey, blue as you can see.  All any women ever ask is, "What color is it?" so I'll spare you all the other specs.  The most important one:  The speedometer works!  So far I like it a lot, but it has a lot of features that will take some getting used to.

We had our first adventure in it this morning, doing the preschool run.  My friend's big white van was stuck good in the snow in their driveway, so long story short we were at full capacity with all her school kids, her toddler who I was planning on babysitting anyway, and my toddler.  The eighth grade boy got to ride shotgun and geek out over the fancy audio system, while everybody else was singing to the radio and dancing in the backseat.  Poor Anthony was already at school and missed all the fun, but just as well because he wouldn't have fit!  I wish I had taken a picture of everybody, because that really was a fun ride to school!  It was really nice to be able to help out in this way.  I have a feeling this was only the first of many rides given, but that's why we got this car.

I'm really loving this winter, despite the polar vortexes!  It's a real winter.  I'm always disappointed when there is very little snow.  Snow is lightly falling outside the window right now.  Although I am gazing out at the raised beds thinking it's high time to get the seed order in.

We aren't expanding the raised beds this year.  We could have made better use of the space we had already dug.  Not bothering with onions this year, but adding more cole crops.  The garden beds are almost planned out.  Just have to finalize whether or not Ryan can be persuaded to plow up the level part of the yard next to the driveway that has decent drainage so we can have a three sisters field.  You know: corn, beans, and squash!  It's one of the original companion planting schemes.  You plant the corn first, then climbing beans climb up the cornstalks.  The beans help put nitrogen into the ground to fertilize the corn and squash.  Squash vines on the ground smother the weeds. I'm tempted to swap out the corn for sunflowers, because I love them so much.  I think it would work just as well.  Maybe at least do a border of a few rows of sunflowers along the driveway, screening the cornstalks from view.

We're also planting blueberries and raspberries!  That and six more chicks should give us plenty to be getting on with in the backyard this spring!  Maybe I'll go settle my brain for a long winter's nap while I still have the chance!