gardening has begun

i roto-tilled a few rows of the garden and planted about three pounds of onion sets. these are the local grocery store variety *red*.
we have several hundred plants arriving in the mail in a week or so. they will fill out the rest of the the prepared soil.

the root cellar is coming along nicely. we had over an inch of rain during the last storm. normally that'd have left standing water in the cellar but my drainage measures seem to be working so far--
i shouldn't have any problems once all drainage measures are in place. this photo shows most of the progress that i have made. additionally, there are a few more earth bags in the front and i have started the entry rock-work. i had to figure my entry a little differently since the water main needs insulation and enough cover to keep from freezing. that insulation and back-fill buffer encroached into my original plan.

rosie is really turning out to be great dog. tabitha spent a few minutes with her and taught her to roll over. she really really wants to please. she mostly meets all of my expectations chickens are completely off limits and she knows it. she will stop in her tracks and sit down where ever i command. she has almost completely stopped licking and she does her business in the far corner of the yard. additionally, she likes to hang-out with me when i work in the forest. she knows that she is not to go through any yard gate without permission. she is such a good dog and will sit and wait at any gate for me to come back through.