The fifth grade class of the Plainfield School finished five beautiful afghans and sent them to families in Afghanistan.

Their teacher, Heather Gallagher, asked them to comment on the project and here are some of their thoughts about the project as well as shots of the kids holding up the afghans.

I feel lucky to have been a part of this project. I look forward to knitting with these wonderful students next year when they are in Mr. Sheehan’s sixth grade class!

In answer to Mrs Gallagher’s question. “What did you enjoy most about this class project?”, these were some of the comments:

Lots of the students said, “What I enjoyed most about this class project was that I learned how to knit.”

Many others said, “I enjoyed the fact that we were helping people.” and “I enjoyed that I got to make something for someone.”

One student mentioned, “The thing that I enjoyed the most in this project was when we got to see all the squares put together.”

Several said, “I enjoyed teaching other people how to knit. I felt really good when people were coming to me asking for help.”

In answer to the question, “What did you learn from making part of the afghan? The answers touched on some common themes.

“I learned it’s not all about one person but it is about working together.”

“The thing that I learned from making part of the afghan was that if we all work together we can make a lot ( five afghans).”

I learned that us kids can make a difference.”

I learned that you can make a huge difference by knitting something so small.”

“I learned that not only old ladies knit.”

“I learned that even if you make something small, if you work with others if can be something big.”

“A lot of hard work pays off.”

“I learned that teamwork was important ( but I already knew that). ”

“I learned that it feels good to help somebody else.”

“I learned that it is actually possible to make a small difference in the world.”

“I learned that you can think of someone else instead of yourself.”

In answer to the question, “Why do you think this project was incorporated into 5th grade?”, many kids spoke about similar things.

“I think it was incorporated into fifth grade so we could learn cooperation and working together.”

“Why I think this project was incorporated into 5th grade is because we learned to help each other.”

“I think it was incorporated into 5th grade because (Mrs.Gallagher) thought we could do it.”

“It was incorporated into 5th grade because it is a way for us to help people in need.”

“I think this problem was incorporated into 5th grade because in 5th grade you get more responsibility.”

“This was in 5th grade because we can make a difference.”

“Think about the organization Afghans for Afghans and reflect on why it is important to be part of something like this.” generated thoughts including the following:

“It is important because one more blanket will keep one more person warm.”

“I think it is good to be part of Afghans for Afghans because you dedicate your time for people you do not know.”

“It is important to be part of something like this because kids really want to make a difference without giving money so this can happen because of this organization.”

“I think its important so people know what people go through.”

“It’s important because it helps people.”

“It is important to be past of something like this because it gives you the great feeling that you helped to make people’s lives a little better.”

“So you can know how it feels to give something away.”

“It is important to be part of this because you know that you are doing something for someone who needs your help.”

“It is important because one more blanket is one more person or family that will be warm on cold nights.”

I think that it is important to be part of this because every part that you make is a part of love that goes to kids in Afghanistan.”

Mrs. Gallagher’s last question was, “Imagine you can meet the family that is going to receive one of your blankets. What would you say to the family?”

“I would say that the rest of the 5th grade and I worked really hard and we are glad we could help.”

“I hope you really like this blanket. The 5th grade class from Plainfield Elementary School put a lot of love into it.”

“I would say, “I hope you enjoy the blanket as much as we enjoyed making it.”

“I would say, “We have worked very hard on knitting and putting the blanket together and I hope you like it.”

“If I could talk to the family, I would say, “I’m glad I could give you something that would help. It makes me feel good that I could help.”

“I would say, “Here is a blanket and I hope you like it. My class made it! I really worked hard on it. It was really fun.”

“I would say to the family, “This is a blanket that I helped make. I hope you like it. Also I hope it makes your life a little better.”

“I would say to them, “Hi. My class and I worked together to knit this blanket for you. We read a book about a girl and her life in Afghanistan and decided to do something about it. I hope you will find all the love, hope, and courage that you need in it because we did.”

“I would say to the family, “I hope you like the quilt that the 5th grade in Plainfield, NH made and I hope it brings love to you.”

Planting days continue. Yesterday we got the Red Shiso seeds into the ground. Each year we wait until the beginning of June when the danger of frost is past. The Red Shiso is very frost sensitive. Since its the one crop we absolutely must have for the Essences, we can’t risk putting it in in May only to have it get a late frost. We hope we have waited long enough this year. Tonight’s forecast is for lows in the high thirties!

Riley is tired of planting and his work ethic took a nose dive. He mostly wanted to flop on Sophie wherever she was in the gardens. Finally, he had to be banished back to his supervisory role in the office.

Today we’ll put in the last of the vegetables and also plant a patch of buckwheat for the bees who love buckwheat blossoms. Onwards!

Yesterday the planting continued. Emily and I took advantage of an overcast cool morning to begin planting the main vegetable garden.

Mishka came to inspect our progress.

So did Sophie, who joined us in the afternoon to plant the broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts as well as more annual Flowers.

Just as we were nearly done with what we had hoped to plant, a tractor trailer truck with 52,000 bottles, as in three palettes of 1/2 ounce cobalt blue bottles weighing a total of 4,000 pounds, arrived for us to unload into the barn.

That left us feeling like we really had used every muscle we had!

Today, Sophie and Emily are off, but Mishka and I will keep planting. Maybe I will put in some catnip to thank her for her very uncatlike willingness to see yesterday’s plantings through from start to finish.

May is bliss and not just for cats who can hide in the Flowers.

May is bliss for bees.

And Tree Peonies.

May is bliss for Emily who graduated from high school this weekend.

May is bliss for first year teacher, Ben just about to dive summer vacation.

May is bliss for cousins William and Taylor. Taylor tries on the cap for size and finds it a good fit. Will notes that of the next four family graduations, he is the graduate at three of them; his eighth grade graduation, his high school graduation, and his college graduation. Only Emily sandwiches in there with her college graduation.

May, or at least the tail end of it, is frost free bliss for all the baby plants in the greenhouse and cold frames that can finally get planted and out of their cramped quarters into the good earth.

May is bliss for Sophie and Emily, outside at last, planting the Cherokee Trail of Tears Garden.

May is bliss in the Venus Garden. Its planted, weeded, watered, and feeling the morning sun come up from behind the barn to shine on all the new sprouting plants.

Have you noticed that I always have either a bee ON my bonnet or a bee IN my bonnet about something?

This week, I am obsessing about rocks. This leaves William glad I am not obsessing about weeds.

Or mulch.

No, this week’s garden obsession is rocks.

I’m working to fix the stone walls in our entrance courtyard. These walls were built with rocks found in our hedgerow. On most farmland around here, this would mean plenty of rock to chose from. However, years before we moved here, our neighbor Teddy got permission to harvest rocks from our hedgerow from the previous owner for a beautiful wall at her house.

Our stonewall courtyard was built from leftover rocks after her harvest. I can remember the man who built her wall driving a truck up and down our field (well before I knew it would be our field). He dragged a sledge behind the truck heaped with perfect, thin, flat, big rocks.

His wall is a wonder. I enjoy looking at it every time I go to Teddy’s house. However, his work meant small chippy sorts of rocks were all that were left for us to use. That and boulders.

Ben did a great job building the wall with what he could find, but whenever dogs or anyone else leaps on the wall, it crumbles and slides. This is because big flat rocks to set across its width to anchor it together were unavailable when he was building.

Ben went on to build other walls with better rock. He built a long wall at Lynn’s, for example. She reports that nary a rock has moved. Snowplows, dogs, donkeys, and grandchildren have done no damage.

Tired of periodic collapses as well as the cluttered look of small stones on the top of wall, I asked a neighbor with literally miles and miles of rock walls, if we could harvest some perfect, thin, flat, big rocks from his walls to fix our wall. The golden words that fell from his lips were, “Take whatever you want.” This was, of course, music to my ears.

Here we are harvesting.

Here’s one stretch of the wall in question.

In the foreground is one of the parts of the wall that I have rebuilt with bigger rocks. About halfway down begins the part of the ring left for me to rework.

As I replace the little rocks with bigger rocks, there are lots of leftover little rocks. I am leaving them there for now because sometimes they are needed as chocks for the bigger rocks. I will probably try to finish this section today, leaving the inner ring around the pool to rebuild next.

Last night, a rock goddess inspected the first part of my rebuild. It seems to have passed muster.