Whether it’s the flowers of arugula and broccolini drawing beneficial insects to the raised beds, or subtly fragrant pink honeysuckle flowers on the giant Lonicera korolkowii filled with honeybees, I’m grateful for the complex diverse flowers of the garden, of the world.

I started planting two ‘three sisters’ mounds today, with four corn seeds in each depression. In a couple of weeks when the corn is up, I’ll intersperse a vining bean, and a week or so after that plant two winter squash plants on the outsides of each mound. In the raised bed just above this area, I planted three more squares of four corn kernels interspersed with the salvaged arugula dug up when we turned and amended the bed below. Next to those, bush beans are already sprouting, and zucchini seeds wait for more warmth.

The days have been full with compassion and not much attention to my 42 fruits and vegetables each day, but at least I got some color in my lunch. The cheese sandwich du jour is brie, arugula pesto, avocado and lettuce on herbed focaccia leftover from yesterday. I was grateful for a relatively quiet day in the garden, except for a quick ride to town to pick up my car from the shop where tires were fixed and winter wheels swapped off. Little Wren charmed everywhere from the bank, to Farm and Home, to the shop.