Meanwhile, Back at the Worm Hotel . . .

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day here in the Pacific Northwest, and a perfect time to check in on the Worm Hotel.

We’re up to three stories now and those worms have been busy.

According to a woman at the Pacific Northwest Flower and Garden show, if I move the bottom bin (the one that’s been there the longest; the one where the “good stuff” is) up to the top position the dark-loving worms will make their way down to the lower stories thus emptying the top bin.

I’m sure that would have happened if I had waited long enough. As it was I was impatient and all of the guests hadn’t vacated their rooms before I started harvesting the “fruit” of their labor. No matter. I just picked the stragglers out and relocated them to a lower floor. I saw lots of baby worms in the mix too. That must be evidence that the worms have settled in and are comfortable enough to start raising a family!

Just look at this incredible vermicompost! What was once coffee grounds, vegetable peels, egg shells, and assorted other materials is now nutrient-rich fodder for my garden. The Worm Hotel takes up very little space, the guests are quiet, all in all it’s a pretty good situation, I’d say. I spent some time spreading this gift from my red wigglers over my garden after planting more lettuce, beets, and getting my squash in the ground.

Then, I pulled out the camera to check out what’s been happening in the yard.

The azalea is just coming into bloom.

I planted yellow tulip bulbs last fall to compliment the striking black ones I enjoyed last year. I like the combination.

The wisteria is just barely starting to flower. I can’t wait until it’s in full bloom!

It seems like the trees have donned their summer outfits. I think they look quite lovely, don’t you?

I picked up these yellow mums and black petunias at Lowes today. I’ll plant them in pots tomorrow. I think they’ll be a striking combination together.

Finally, I sat down with a cold glass of Chardonnay and my camera to try to capture some photos of my avian visitors. Maya, one of my Yorkies–who thinks she’s a bird dog–would have none of that and scared them all way.

For the past few weeks, starting slow, I’ve been putting the tomatoes outside during the day to begin hardening them off. I woke up at 3am this morning and realized I had forgotten to bring them inside before I went to bed last night. I left the girls sleeping on the bed (Gerry is away for the weekend or I may just have woken him up!) and headed outside to rescue my plants. It was a blessing in disguise because as I stood outside and listened to the frogs and the crickets and felt the brush of the cool night air on my bare arms I was blessed. As if it was all meant to be.

After a moment I brought the tomatoes inside–they were none the worse for the adventure–and now I’m debating about whether or not I should put them in the ground. I’ll do some reading about the best time to plant before I make any rash decisions though.

All in all, it was the kind of day I live for and this evening I feel blessed and content. Now I’m off to make dog food for the girls. Lord willing I’ll have enough time to get back outside and enjoy the remainder of the day on the patio.

I hope your day was as fulfilling to you as mine was to me.