Garden Log: Day One

It does not escape my notice that my last blog entry concerns a snowman, while this one will be about the garden, but the weather has been so darn beautiful, I just can't help it.

The garden was not put to bed properly last fall, so things will not go as smoothly as should do this spring. Perhaps an early start won't hurt. Rick tilled both the fenced garden and part of the bed by the house, after Kate and I put a stake next to anything we wanted to keep. She and I also spread out the leaves that were meant for mulch in October and instead were dumped in a heap on the herb garden. I then replanted the garlic that had heaved out of the ground over the winter and added a big chunk that Rick dug out of the main garden. (Apparently we also missed a bunch of onions and carrots last fall. Let's consider it compost.)

And now, for your entertainment...a fun spring game...Name That Shoot:


(my guess is grape hyacinth)



(I'm hopin' for narcissus.)



(peony I believe)

Also still alive to fight another day...a hollyhock, day lilies, oregano, thyme, sage, lavender, lemon balm, blue speedwell and a bunch of myrtle. It's too early to tell about the swamp white oaks we planted last year, but I'm pretty sure all four new blueberries are still alive. Things look ok so far.

Kate and I also took on one more endeavor today, a strawberry pot. I found this at Wal-Mart (and can't find a link for you, sorry) a terra cotta pot and 9 strawberry plants with dirt ready for planting. As strawberries are my most favorite fruit every, I've got high hopes. Kate and I assembled it, and will be moving it in and out until the frost threat has passed...speaking of which, I'd better go get it off the porch. Ooops.

I'll keep you posted as the garden adventure continues. Trust me, with my penchant for forgetting things entirely, and my hatred of weeding, it's always interesting.

now that's a snowman...

We've been having quite a winter in NE Ohio. Enough snow fell to last weeks. I got to ski quite a bit, and several attempts were made at snowmen. The problem was, the snow was never quite right for packing when we were ready to do the job. Of course when the snow is right for packing, it's usually too heavy for me to make a really spectacular snowman. This weekend we pressed Daddy into service with impressive results.

After a short and definitive snowball fight that resulted in a load of snow down my neck, we moved on to sliding down the slide into a pile of snow. Look, my new camera caught an action shot...

While inside the house, Kate's Christmas Amaryllis seems intent on making up for it's lack of height with a plethora of blooms.

This would be blooms number 5 and 6 emerging and it ain't over yet. Did you know plants can have a Napoleon complex?

Sailor's Delight

My first finished pair of socks require their own blog entry right?

So here they are. I used the Yarn Harlot's simple sock pattern from this book, and added the Sailor's Delight pattern from this book. I used Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Lava Heather, part of my Christmas present from the husband, and there's lots left.

The bottom line is, I don't think I would mind doing another pair of socks, but I can tell I don't have the patience for it in sock weight yarn. All those little tiny stitches kinda give me a twitch. I think that's why sock yarn comes in such delicious colors. It's a bribe to get you to knit with dental floss. I'll stick to worsted weight knitting for now, thanks. I gave this pair to my dad to warm his feet during syrup season. Why, you may ask, didn't I give them to the husband who bought me all that yarn? After all, they fit. His feet are in these pictures. I'll tell you why. When I was ready to turn the heel, I put the socks on him to get an idea for the size and he said....."Why do they have holes in them?" No socks for you!