Playing in the Dirt

I got to play in the dirt today!  Since  my oncologist warned me to  stay out of the sun and make sure to wear gloves when gardening to avoid picking up any pathogens,  I donned  my long sleeved, turtleneck shirt, my  wide brimmed hat, and  gardening gloves and went  out to battle  the weeds that took over our little garden patch this winter. It was a  lovely day, albeit a little breezy,  and not too hot since  the clouds kept the sun hidden  off and on  all morning.

Mr. G  trimmed some dead wood from the trees and shrubs,  whacked weeds with the weed whacker and mowed the back yard while I tackled the weeds in the   herb and flower bed.  I managed to reclaim   a portion of the bed and rescue the  echinacea, monarda, calendula, achillea, rosebush and some other odds and ends from the clutches of the the vines and weeds that were trying to choke the life out of them. This is how it looked  when I began:

And this is how much I got done before running out of steam:

While  he was whacking weeds  Mr. G called me over to see something, and this is what  we found:  a clump of redleaf lettuce growing  just outside the  compost bin:

We dug it up and  put it in a pot.  I hope it survives- and we can make some delicious salads with it.  I also hope it inspires the slow-growing little lettuce seedlings to put on a growth spurt.
There is still a lot of weeding that needs to be done so we're hoping the rain holds off long enough to make some more headway. I might even   get around to  cleaning up the veggie beds to get them ready for the eggplants, squash, tomatoes and  bush beans I  plan to set out after  the last frost date.   Spring is definitely in the air, and it's most welcome to stay around a while.