These are the San Marzano tomato plants. And this was taken over a week ago. They are half again this size now. We've had to double stake all of the plants, and even still they are falling over. The leaves on some of them are enormous. Bigger than I've ever seen. They are heavy with fruit, and I hope they ripen well, now that some heat is around. Ditto the strawberries (to the left), which are full of flowers right now. They are Alpine strawberries. Not quite wild and not quite what you find in stores. Can't wait to taste them!

In the back are the raspberry bushes. Well, canes anyway. They won't be bushes for another year or two. We're looking forward to having free raspberries again. Even in season they are expensive.

Shifting gears to homeschooling for a moment, September is almost here. Not that we are bound by any set start date, but we are aiming for the beginning of September anyway. We have some curriculum, and just need to fill in a few gaps with some math and bible study stuff. I am grateful that we're starting at the beginning rather than jumping in after our son already started school. We've never wanted to send the kids to school, and have always known we'd homeschool. In traditional school he'd be starting kindergarten this year. At home he's doing more advanced reading, starting to learn math and doing some science. Not because we're pushing him, but because that's where he's at. And of course this summer he's learning about gardening and how things grow. Life is learning. Homeschooling helps us take advantage of that to the fullest.