First thing: Remember the garden? Yeah, apparently the frost date in Newfoundland is JUNE 8. Holy frig. I mean, I love this place. It has incredibly beautiful, rugged landscapes; the people are often friendly and have wicked accents, and I sometimes see moose and bears when I’m driving. Oh, and I live a “yeah, we can go for the weekend” distance from my favourite city. But really? I’m reading blogs where people are talking about the blossoms on their zucchini plants, and I’m like “yeah? Well, mine are dead. DEAD.” I live in the land that summer forgot.
The bean plants are hanging in there, though they’re not growing. The sunflowers are fine, the sweet peas are coming up, the cauliflower plants we bought are OK, though I doubt they’re happy. The wild strawberry plants are doing great, the store-bought ones lost their flowers… I’m just going to pick them from the forest.
I’m not complaining that stuff died when we planted too early. I’m aware of the reality of the place we live, I knew the risks, and the whole thing is really just something fun to do with the kids (who seriously won’t even eat vegetables they grew themselves). It’s just a good thing I’m not taking my little analogy too seriously, because I would have to give up writing right now, because OH THE FUTILITY EVERYTHING SUCKS.*
In other news (and with apologies to anyone who might have already seen this on Facebook, though I know that there’s very little crossover here), this conversation happened in my kitchen last night. Simon is almost eight years old (holy CRAP) and Ike is 5. Oh, and Ike was wearing his giant fuzzy zebra costume, because that’s just how Ike rolls.
Me: So you think you might want to go to camp?
Simon: How long would it be?
Me: Looks like it would be–
Ike: I want to go on a train!
Me: Yes, later. Four nights.
Simon: I’d miss you.
Ike: Where’s the train?
Me: There IS no train.
Simon: *looks at pamphlet* How old do kids have to be? When is it?
Ike: I’ll go!
Me: You’re too young, baby.
Ike: *slams head into table* I’M TOO YOUNG TO GO ON THE TRAIN?!
Me: No! You can go on the train when we go to Ontario. That’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about Simon and camp.
Ike: YAY!!!
Simon: Sounds like fun. I want to go. But I don’t want to go in a canoe, because the Titanic made me scared of boats.
Ike: But not TRAINS!
*end scene*
In conclusion, that’s why I didn’t get much writing done yesterday. My brain was exploded from my childrens.
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*No, everything does not suck, I’m being dramatic, everything is fine. Just so’s you don’t worry. 🙂
disregard the prologue 
June 4th, 2013 at 10:42 am
Adorable photo! And I love that conversation! Ike’s comments are awesome! A friend’s three year old daughter liked to walk around in pajamas like a large duck head. We got used to that.
June 4th, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Bears? oO Dear god, I’d be driving a freaking TANK up there…
Trains… *giggles* I thought something this random could only be made up, but apparently, I’m wrong…^^
June 4th, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Ike kind of has trains in the brain ever since I said he could go in one this summer. They pop up in a LOT of conversations!
June 4th, 2013 at 2:12 pm
Haha, poor guy couldn’t get over his train fixation! My boys are 7, 5, and 3 so we get lots of these draining kind of conversations!
June 4th, 2013 at 3:08 pm
I can’t wait to have conversations like that! Sweetpea is only two, so I’ll have to wait a little longer.
June 4th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
Kids are awesome. 🙂 Great for inspiration I’m sure.
June 4th, 2013 at 8:24 pm
Better for frustration and distraction, but they do provide comic relief most days. 🙂
June 5th, 2013 at 1:59 pm
I love Newfoundland. Rented a house on a rocky bit of coast for a week about ten years and completely fell in love. I’d love to live there, but husband has this irrational dislike of cold. Big baby 😉
June 5th, 2013 at 3:19 pm
That would be a major problem most of the year. We live here because my husband was born in St John’s, but it’s home to me. I could do with less cold, though.