South African lily

South African lily
Originally uploaded by the gladdings

Three years after planting this lily, we are reveling in the sight and scent of these glorious blooms. It truly is stunning.

Square foot gardening

Square foot gardening
Originally uploaded by the gladdings

We're trying something new for our Fall garden. Rebecca read an old copy of the gardening guide by Mel Bartholomew and was intrigued by his method: very intentional planting with (supposedly) minimal tending and maximum yield. Sounded good to us, so we ordered the revised edition and planned and planted our two vegetable beds in the backyard. It is a lot of work up front - we have planted 68 square feet with: onions, broccoli, kale, swiss chard, spinach, bok choy, lettuce, carrots, beets, pole beans, quinoa, radishes, nasturtiums and marigolds. We renewed the beds with 2 trunk loads of cow manure we brought back from the ranch - and compost from our bins. We're eager to see if Mel delivers on his promise!

The streets of Houston

Pitner Road post-Ike
Originally uploaded by the gladdings

This is our street, taken 2 weeks after 'Ike' - and it looks like every other street in the city. Piles of downed trees and limbs outside every house. Our neighborhood is still only somewhat cleared. I read somewhere that it will take 4 months to clear the debris. We went to the Houston Arboretum yesterday and it was sad to see so many downed trees.

Seth turns 3!

Seth turns 3!
Originally uploaded by the gladdings

We celebrated Seth's birthday last week, all week! Rebecca baked him a Victoria sponge cake and the Henneks joined us for a birthday dinner. We gave him his first real football and a goal - he plays in (very) short bursts for now.
Seth is an absolute delight - he loves his sister, he loves playing with Maggie, enjoys art, dancing, his new firetruck, building with blocks, his 'motorbike' (tricycle), adventure walks and climbing. He is a cuddler, especially after naps and for books. He has a great smile. He loves his cowboy boots. And eating. He intends to be a fairy ghost for halloween.

Maggie's first fish

Maggie's first fish
Originally uploaded by the gladdings

Here's the first of several 'catch up' entries. During our week at the Hobson's ranch we fished on several days - catching on a couple. This is a very proud Maggie with her first ever fish - a small catfish. Check out more photos from the ranch at our Flickr account

POST - IKE

Well, after 15 days without electricity, we finally got power back on Sunday. We had spent the first week out at our friends the Hobson's ranch in the sticks, and then home to sweat it out in faith that the power would come back on. After our faith dwindled shortly therafter, we moved in with Marty and John Shroff for a delightful 4 days. We still have no phone/internet - once we do, we'll post more. We are grateful to have come out of the storm virtually unscathed, knowing the havoc Ike wreaked throughout the area, and the tragedy that continues to unfold...