Most of the time I don't think we accomplish much... ...you know, keeping the house at a minimum level of clean feels like about all we can do. But, I'm learning to give us more credit.
I have been trying to get edible landscaping approved but it looks like that isn't likely to happen. I had even given up on raised beds. Then one day, Andrew came in a said he thought they would be okay in the strip between the driveway and the alley. Great! And, since we are replacing the fence, I knew exactly where I would get the wood to build them.
I have great ideas but not always great follow through. Andrew knows he's going to get sucked into working on something he had no intention of being a part of. Anyways, I built the first box, quickly figured out it was really deep and decided to stagger them. So, the first two boxes are four fence boards deep, the next two are three fence boards deep, and the last two (which I haven't built yet) will be two fence boards deep.We (notice how Andrew got involved) spent a Saturday finishing these four boxes (building and filling with soil). I would have never gotten them done if Andrew hadn't stepped in when he did. If you followed above, you realize I still have two more to do. I also intend to put in a drip-irrigation system on a timer but I'm thinking that will just have to wait for a while.
Green beans, celery, tomatoes, purple potatoes, peppers, delicata squash, lemon cucumber and basil all made it in this year. It has really amazed me how well everything is doing. It was late in the year, the weather was weird and some of the plants had a rough time before getting in the ground, yet in less than a week everything was going strong.
This picture is from the first week when I planted the green beans. They were seeds Mom and Dad saved from last year. I would say germination was spotty. 
Just one week after planting!
But that isn't all that has been going on. Mom and Dad came up and Dad cut down the awful holly tree in our backyard and the arborvitae in the front yard. Plus, we're getting that new fence!
Maybe there is more going on at the Jones Cottage than I think.
