Passing the torch, but running together

My oldest daughter and her husband occupy our house while we live at my job site.  If you look back at my posts through the years, you know this property is full of gardens.  It is no small undertaking to learn gardening in this environment.  My daughter has decided that she is up to the task.  
Between my job and hers, we are late getting at the gardens at both properties this year.  I got a good start at both places, but fell behind when my own work schedule picked up.  Michelle puts in a good amount of hours at her day job with a publishing company in addition to free lance work with a second.  Add a new puppy into the mix and the schedule gets pretty tight.  The only time we have set aside together has been to frequent some of the outdoor beer gardens in our local parks.  
This Friday we made a date to get busy.  The beer was picked up at the local liquor store famous for its price and selection.  I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the tremendous number of volunteer annuals that are filling the beds.  Our job was made easier as a result.  My plans had to be altered a bit as a result, but we ended up with a combination garden of flowers and vegetables as a result.
Michelle got familiar with the most prevalent weeds and got to work at clearing those spots out.  It took just a few more plants to make the garden complete.  The rain garden has filled in so well this year.  There are very few spots to put those shade loving plants that I have grown accustomed to adding every year.  The loss of the street tree has also changed the light level dramatically.  One of my Hostas at the edge was already showing sun scald.  There was also a complete mass of turf grass that despite my best past efforts, had completely engulfed one of my sedge clumps.  I dug out and removed all of that (ha! you never get it all) and my girls followed behind with her splash of color.  The result was very pleasing.  I also ended up with more Hostas for my very shady patch of earth in a smaller variety than what has already been installed at the new digs.
I knew that we would not finish this project together so we took the time to walk with a cold beer around the rest of the yard to discuss her next steps.  We looked over the seed packets purchased earlier this spring and talked about where they needed to go in the raised beds.  We talked about the current crops of potatoes, onions, and leeks that I did get in early in the season and their upcoming maintenance.  She had the usual question of how do you know when things are ready to harvest.  I told her a few times that she needs gardening to be a hobby, a time to relax.  Do things in small batches as a way to unwind and decompress at the end of the day.  Never look at it as another thing you have to do as this will take all the joy out of gardening. This is definitely a new stage of life for both of us.  Growing older is not a terrible tragedy as most folks view it.  Without the aging process, my daughters and I would not move past those tumultuous teenage years into a new phase of life where we share a beer and discuss the bigger things in life.  I am happy to have both my girls in that place where they are independent women who are making their own way in life.
Dark started to settle in as hunger gnawed at both of us.  Woman can not live on beer alone. My daughter headed in to make a very late supper, while I used the waning light to hand cultivate the vegetable beds to jump start her next planting day.  I looked up at the silver of moon followed by Venus in an indigo backdrop and savored my favorite part of the day.  The seasons turn and life takes its course.  Life is good.