Why did I think that I would have more time?

Life has been busy for the last few days. For some strange reason, I was under the assumption that when I was finished work and class, that I would have a bit more time at my disposal. I forgot all about planting season. See above the state of the garden as of Sunday morning. Last fall, I found myself very busy with children, work, weaving for the market, and life in general. I did not get around to doing the final cleaning of the garden before the ground froze. In fact it was somewhat of a relief when the ground froze because then I could just erase that pesky line from my "to-do" list. Can't very well haul up carpets and tear down fences when everything is frozen, can I?
Here is Dad's magic elixir. Or black gold. Know as manure in some circles. Two buckets were dumped on the garden after all of the carpets were rolled back and the two million weeds were dug out.
Mom and Dad both helped, as did Nicole. The older kids helped sporadically and not without protest.
Here is Dad tilling. Beats the heck out of one of those bone shakers that you walk behind. Dad has tilled so many fields and gardens that he can put the tiller exactly where he wants it. I am always very impressed by his accuracy.
Speaking of impressed, doesn't Bill look impressed with our first crop? That would be one of about 6 or 8 wheel barrows full of weeds. Grass, creeping charlie, maple seedlings, dandelions, and countless other unknown plants. As my Dad says, a weed is an unwanted plant. Strange as it may sound, I have had, on occasion, tomatoes as weeds. Bill will disagree.
And when I spoke earlier of rolling back the carpets, that is exactly what I meant. In between the rows of plants, we have strips of old carpets down. These keep the weeds out from between the rows, helps to keep the moisture in, and keeps your feet relatively mud free.