A Day in the Life | April 1, 2023

On April first, Tucker and I finally took our annual trip to The Barn Nursery to rebuild our little garden after a long, cold winter. Everything was in bloom, and though it was a very windy day, it was a perfect afternoon for plant shopping.

We’re finally through all the “fake springs” on Lookout Mountain - at least, we hope - so when things finally warmed up last weekend, we took full advantage of the beautiful weather. It seemed like plenty of other people had the same idea because the Barn was packed. Lots of older couples, young couples, college students, and families were there to plant all their summer dreams.

I told Tucker when we walked in, “Get whatever you want,” and he obeyed. He had a list of empty pots, separated by size, in his phone. As we walked through the aisles, he picked plant after plant and tucked them in our cart.

I was more interested in vegetable and herb plants since having certain items always on hand during the summer makes cooking so much more fun. Surprisingly, our green onions came back on their own, so we didn’t have to buy those. We did restock on basil and rosemary, and another cherry tomato plant. We still have seeds from Pop’s tomato plants from last year, so we’re starting those this week for planting sometime next month. Tucker’s grandfather always grows the best tomatoes, so we’re doing our best to follow suit.

Instead of jalapenos this year, we opted for some fruit, which we’re both so excited about! We got raspberry and blueberry plants, both pretty mature, so we’re eager for quick harvesting. To finish off the spree, I got myself some cute gardening gloves (even though everyone knows Tucker will be doing all the actual gardening).

Surprisingly, we fit everything in the car - as you can see from one of the photos above. When we got home, I helped Tucker pile everything on our porch, even some of the plants we still had inside, so he could assess the situation.

Before he got started with the planting, he took a photo of his spoils and texted his best friend the words, “Its time to begin.” Hilariously, Andrew texted back his own photo of new plants - the Fultzs had had their own April first gardening trip, too!

With that, Tucker got to work and I went grocery shopping. When I got home, he’d finished and was eager to give me the grand tour. He’s still eager to give anyone a tour, if you’d like to come over and visit. He has such a gift for making our home so beautiful.

Needless to say, we’re both grateful that spring is finally here! We’re ready for sunny morning coffee with a view and afternoon suntanning in our little garden. We’ve even floated the idea of some new patio furniture (I’m itching for an outdoor rocking chair!).

Now that spring is here, what are you most looking forward to?