Bobert, you've been busy! We've been indoors with all of the rain (over 10 inches here in the last four days). When there were clear patches between storms I went outside to check the yard. The poor redbud that was injured last week is leaning as much as ever, but it is still in full leaf and it hasn't fallen over. A desert willow was whipped around enough yesterday that it's drooping a lot more than usual. Everything else looks pretty good, and the weeds come out of the garden soil as easy as can be. I stood out in the front tonight and cleared about a square yard of garden in maybe 10 minutes.
I have Swiss chard that wintered over and after taking a couple of weeks to cut off the winter leaves and let new ones come in before finishing taking the old leaves, I now have 8 or 10 healthy chard plants cranking out the leaves. The big ones can be used rather like cabbage--I sliced up a few leaves (1/2 inch wide strips, cut across the leaves and through the center stalk) and dropped them into some veggie soup. They're wonderful! Like cabbage, they need to cook for a little while, but unlike spinach, they don't disappear into nothing. I sliced the stems cross-wise and dropped them in also, and they're about the consistence of celery. They actually are a little firmer but are very good. When the leaves are smaller you can boil or steam them just like spinach. It's good with a little vinegar.
We've started eating tomatoes. Had several on tacos tonight. Mmmmmm!!!