[speaker001:] Well, what kind of garden do you have?
[speaker002:] Well, we've tried having, let me turn the T V off, we've tried having a vegetable garden, and I'm from Chicago, and the way that, uh, bugs and weeds grow down here is very different [LAUGHTER] from Chicago.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] And we have tried several years in a row, and we've given up, between the fire ants, the pill bugs, the weeds, the drought, and a hundred and ten degree heat all Summer, and we just kind of, uh, decided to go with a few flowers and give up on the vegetable garden [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] We had to put so much poison out on everything that we thought, Who'd want to eat that stuff.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, uh-huh.
[speaker002:] You know, so we have really been frustrated by our gardening attempts here, and, uh, if you really water a lot, you can do it, but, you know, when you have to pay for water, it really gets to be an annoyance to have to water constantly.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So, right now we're just,
[speaker001:] Do you have a lawn?
[speaker002:] Yeah, we, we just try to maintain the [LAUGHTER] lawn and the shrubs right now, and the trees.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] We have a peach tree. That's the extent of our, um, contributing to our food supply. But that's nice to have but,
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah.
[speaker002:] Yeah, yeah. So what do you do up there?
[speaker001:] Well, um, actually [LAUGHTER] it, we've sort of had an ideal Spring.
[speaker002:] Um.
[speaker001:] And, um, the, the peonies have been out for now about three weeks
[speaker002:] Oh, wow.
[speaker001:] and the roses have been blooming for two weeks, and the grass is, uh, this lush green, and of course I've got lots of weeds in mine because,
[speaker002:] [Children yelling].
[speaker001:] I don't use any poison either.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] But, um, you know, I just keep looking at, and I say, Jeez, you know, this is the first year it's been so perfect.
[speaker002:] Really. Gosh.
[speaker001:] But, and my garden, you know, [LAUGHTER] my tomatoes are two and a half feet tall
[speaker002:] Oh, boy
[speaker001:] the plants and,
[speaker002:] that sounds wonderful.
[speaker001:] you know, I'm g-, I'm going, Gee, this can't, you know, we'll have a freeze.
[speaker002:] If you don't have a frost you'll be all right [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] That's what I remember from living up north, is that you'd get everything set and then you'd have a frost and half [LAUGHTER] the stuff would get frostbitten, and you'd have to.
[speaker001:] Well, that's it. Last year, I think it was, you know, my peonies were, were, budding in January, and, you know, there was no way that was going to make it, and sure enough, you know, we d-, had really mild weather until
[speaker002:] Wow.
[speaker001:] I think it was May or something
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and then, you know, everything just got hit hard [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Oh, boy, that's frustrating.
[speaker001:] So, but yeah, it, it's interesting, and I enjoy gardening. My son does the mowing of the grass.
[speaker002:] Oh, yeah, my husband does that, thank goodness, because I, that's not a pleasure for me [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] I don't think that's a pleasure for anybody, the m-, the mowing.
[speaker002:] I love gardens that are well tended, and I just, there's been a few different places I've lived where I've just n-, I don't know whether it's little old ladies living there or what, but you could just tell that they had a love, uh, a love affair with their gardens, with beautiful wild flowers, and just, I love the host of colors that just keep coming all, you know, year long. And, uh, [children] I, I was in England once, and that's one thing that impressed me so much is no matter what size yard somebody had, they had a beautiful garden in it. You know, it could be [child yelling] three feet by four feet or something.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So I do admire that, but I haven't really put, uh, too much energy into it.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Course we have two little kids that are two and three years old [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Oh, they help you.
[speaker002:] So that has put a crimp in my every activity other than diapers and laundry, I'll tell you [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Oh dear. Oh but that's nice, you know, I mean the peach tree is, is a start and,
[speaker002:] Tha-, yeah, that's really lovely. I would love to have different fruit trees. It's, it's been wonderful to have the peaches. They're just delicious. And, we, we ha-, we have, still have to spray some, but we don't have to just asphyxiate ourself with the poison, which is good, because [LAUGHTER] I just, I can't see the point in doing that and eating anything out of it afterwards.
[speaker001:] Right. What about tomatoes, aren't they pretty hardy?
[speaker002:] Um, we've tried them, but again, it's just like the sun scorch.
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] We've tried them in kind of halfway in the shade and halfway in the s-, I mean it's just, you really, really
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] have to be prepared to water constantly during the Summer. People that have been successful out here have done this drip irrigation
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] and installed that, and um, that's really what makes the most sense, because you don't have to use so much water, and
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] it really does the job. But it's just amazing how hot and dry and for how long it gets out here.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] And if you're not really committed to it, I mean, me, I'm, you know, I'm real committed to it for about a week, and then I forget about it for a week, and then I go, Oh, yeah, I need to do something, and [LAUGHTER] by then it's burned up, you know.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] It's just too distracting right now with these little ones in our lives, so maybe when I get older [children] I'll find, uh, some joy in that [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Well, I would a-, assume, too, I mean, you've got three or four months you're talking about [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] of, of bad weather.
[speaker002:] Yeah, it just gets so hot so fast here. We don't have really a Spring or a Fall
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and it just, uh, immediately heats up. So, that's one thing I miss about living up north, as I remember, um, you know, the long Springs and long Falls and the cooler weather. It was really nice.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] We always had gardens when I was, uh, living in Chicago. In fact, my mother once tore up our entire back yard [LAUGHTER],
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] and redid it. I'll never forget. Got my stepfather to put in, uh, a waterfall and a little pond in one corner. I mean, that was like the most energy invested in anything in the whole time I ever knew him [LAUGHTER]. They remodeled the entire back yard. Then they sold the house and got divorced, so I don't know what that says about it all [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Oh, dear.
[speaker002:] Oh, but she used to love to do stuff like that.
[speaker001:] Sounds like it would have been pretty.
[speaker002:] Yeah, it really was. I enjoyed it there. But maybe when the boys get a little older, we'll do some more planting, because they like to see things grow. They've done a couple of little seed projects, and so I think it would be fun for them.
[speaker001:] Oh, sure, sure.
[speaker002:] Yeah, yeah.
[speaker001:] Well, it sounds like you, you've got your hands full [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Oh, yes [LAUGHTER]. They're both running around now.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] And, you know, gardening isn't, isn't high on the list, but it's not off the list.
[speaker002:] Yeah, well, it's very therapeutic, I think, really to get out there and dig in the dirt,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know. They certainly enjoy that part of it [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] It's just trying to keep anything. I planted bulbs last, uh, Fall on the side guard, and when I went out there in the Spring and the first day they came out the little one went and pulled all the flowers off, and the flower petals were scattered all over the walk [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] He thought, what are these fun toys that mommy put out here with all these colors for me to play with?
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] At least he didn't eat them, I mean, I guess I could be thankful for that.
[speaker001:] Right. Maybe next year they'll do better.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] Yeah, really. If they survive this year. Oh, well, good luck to you.
[speaker001:] Okay, well, thanks.
[speaker002:] Nice talking to you.
[speaker001:] It was nice talking to you too. Bye-bye.