Spring is Springing!

 It's about time, isn't it? Actually, we're pushing the season as usual, wanting to see flowers and buds and all the things that mean warm weather is ahead.

The other day I got impatient and planted lettuce and radishes in my washtubs on the porch. I think it looks like a great place for a garden! I used a little porch table to hold the plastic up. We'll see how it does.

Today was one of those deceptive days, the kind where the air can cut you in tow even though the sun is shining brightly. I had planned some outside work but by the time it warmed up enough to get out there I was deep into eBay listings, another task I've been putting off. I'm good at finding and buying, not so good about sitting down and listing things. So I worked on it today but snuck outside here and there to get a taste of the day's crisp air.

Larry worked on some furniture repair until noon, then he headed out to get the gardens plowed. We often double-plow, doing them early on and then again before we actually plant. It seems to improve the soil texture somehow. He took a few breaks though, and had some help with that.

I love looking at new-plowed ground.It looks rich and full of promise, and it seems that anything is possible with the gardens at this stage of the game. Come late July, we'll be tired of battling weeds and looking for the respite of a good frost, but right now all I can think about is getting some things planted.

The crocus is finally blooming, and I am happy to finally have some that look pretty decent. We have problems with chipmunks (Larry calls them ground squirrels) that seem to have a taste for the bulbs but perhaps the cats are persuaded the little critters that our yard is not their fast food place.

I raked out some of the flowerbeds but I am a little leery about doing it so early as those old leaves provide some protection for tender sprouting things. But everything looked so taggy, as my mother would say, and the rake gave it a clean, ready-to-grow look.

I still have to get this long bed and a few others raked, but at least I've made a start.

The other day on our way home from storytelling we stopped at the riverfront in Point Pleasant to see how the river was doing. She was doing fine, way-y-y-y-y up! Most of the riverfront amphitheater area was under her finally thawed waters. So the ice is gone now, except for the morning frosts, and I wonder if we'll see more snow and ice before winter is officially over?

And there's been time for this:

burning up downed limbs and other twigs and branches in the firepit in the evenings. Yes, we're ready for spring.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.