This is really about gardening, but I like the alliteration.

You would think that as adults with bits of land at our disposal we could do whatever we want with it: if we want a vegetable garden, nothing is stopping us from planting it. But there is always some consideration that gets in the way.

Here in Las Vegas, it is getting to the time of year to plant vegetables because the danger of frost is past. There was only a slight danger of it before, but now it's really safe. But the native soil is dead and rock-hard to dig in, so all of the growing dirt has to be brought in. We could make raised beds or else we could do patio pots, but we are gone some of the year, so Mr. Troutbend has put the nix on that idea. He would end up doing most of the work, so I don't blame him.

At our other place, the growing season is very short - it might freeze as late as May 30, and first frost can come in September, although lately it has stayed warm into October. The issue there is finding a spot that gets enough sunlight during the day for vegetables to grow. Being down in a river canyon, the rock walls shade the yards, as well as tall trees. There are a few places out in the middle of the grass that might get the light, but here again, Mr. Troutbend objects because chopping an area into the grass is going to require extra work to go around it when mowing the lawn, and it will require more maintenance such as weeding and fighting off the deer and ground squirrels.

My friend Jane, who lives down in the flat lands, had great luck growing potatoes in raised beds last summer, so she has decided that I should be able to grow potatoes at the cabin. With her mentoring, I will try, but no promises.

One thing the deer won't eat is iris, and I love them. There are a few planted around, but they never bloom. I know the wrong kind of fertilizer will make the leaves grow big but they won't bloom, but we haven't gotten down to finding the right kind of fertilizer for them. Some of them are in too much shade, so I might consider moving them.

We do have a nice bed of oriental poppies that do well if we can get enough water to them. Because of the altitude, it seems like by the time they are ready to bloom it is too hot for them and the buds wither on the stems.