Raspberry bushes

On Saturday we saw an ad in the local free weekly paper for raspberry bushes. A woman one town north of us had lots of overgrown bushes was looking for people to come dig bushes that had overgrown the path through her huge raspberry patch. So we got 16 free red raspberry bushes and she got her paths back! Most of the larger bushes look to be surviving transplanting. I'm not so sure about the smaller ones.
James cut 4 of the large, leafy, oak branches that were overhanging the yard. We now have a bit more sunshine in the vegetable garden and the spot where the apple trees are going in. I hope to have those planted tonight! The sugar snap peas are trellised and have a number of blossoms. The tomatoes are staked or caged. I did a bit of weeding. It was a hot, humid, and pollen heavy weekend so I couldn't get too carried away out there. Can't complain about a three day weekend though.
Friday was a sad day. We had our almost 15 year old labrador/doberman, Kobi, put to sleep. He was getting very weak and his kidneys were beginning to fail. Rather than prolong an unhappy few months we decided to let him go now, as hard as it was to say goodbye. He will be missed very very much. He came to us as a 2 year old, unwanted pup, in the back seat of a coworker's son's Jetta. Seems this guy was recently single and Kobi wasn't fitting into his life style.  The new home he had lined up for Kobi fell through but the guy was moving to a no pets apartment and his mom didn't want to take him in. So she called me and asked if we could keep him at our house until her son found another home. Kobi took one sniff around the backyard and made it quite clear to all that he WAS home.
Tomorrow we all head back to school for a short but busy week. I have 13 days left and the guys get out 4 school days after me. James' big hovercraft race is June 9 so he is busy planning that. Alex starts fencing lessons on June 5 so we will have a couple of really busy Tuesdays.
And then summer will be here and we can breathe a little bit. Just a little. There's LOTS to do!

It looks like this blog will pretty much be updated no more than monthly! At least until school lets out. I have 18 days left to this year.
Today was sunny and warm, but not hot and humid, so managed to plant everything I bought last weekend in the square picket fence garden we added last year. It's now got not only garlic and sugar snap peas, but Brandywine and Lemon Boy tomatoes, and 6 Roma tomatoes, bell peppers and banana peppers (for pickling!) and Swiss chard, dill, parsley and basil. I'm out of room! I got the elderberries I ordered planted. I still need to get the gooseberries and apple trees in. This weather should hold and I'll get them done tomorrow after church.
Today marks a big occasion! 10 year old Alex helped James mow the lawn for the first time. There was much supervision, and sneezing. I'm not sure that was a good idea.....  
We ran some errands this afternoon and I came home with a pattern for a vintage apron, full and LONG so it will cover long skirts when I'm cooking up a storm. I don't have fabric for it yet. I'm thinking gingham feels right, because if I try to do it in a tradition white I'll trash it the first time I wear it!
We have plans to make...   we need to sit on the deck swing with clipboard and paper and make sure we're all headed in the same direction. I think we are. But there are thoughts swirling in my head that don't always make it out my mouth and then I'm surprised when James is caught off guard by some comment I make. "I didn't know we were planning to do that..." Tonight seems like it might be a good evening to do that. Stay tuned!