Spring is here!

[marydmjj]

Hi everyone,

Spring is definitely here in the beautiful Pacific NW. I've spent the last few days watching the birds at my birdfeeder. I've seen a couple of new birds in the yard. A red-shafted flicker (1st time I've seen one) was tearing the feeder apart and under it were a couple of stellar jays, black capped chickadees, dark-eyed juncos (all common in my yard) and a thrush (I think but need to look up).

Anyway, all the bird activity and the warm weather has me motivated. I've transplanted 3 of my roses into pots and 4 of them into the front sunny bed. Still need to get pots for 7 more but I have a little time.

Tonight I'm off to a candle party. Can life get any better???

 

[Tulirose]

Nope, sounds like it is the perfect life! What a great way to start off the month of March. Of course, attitude is everything and you have a wonderful one. Now, I have to learn to adjust mine and look for signs of spring here... any sign.... please!!

 

[Snowwark]

Was it a PartyLite candle party, Marydmjj?

You and DixieDreamer (and our Southern Buds) have a big head start on some of us!

It sounds great, and isn't it wonderful to get your hands into the dirt again!

 

[DixieDreamer]

It really has been very nice here the past couple of days. Where Mary is at ... is milder temps then we get... so she is even further ahead then I am. We are still getting hard freezes at night.

The birds ARE back though and staking out territory in the fields. As I was feeding horses this morning... I stopped to just listen to all the song birds singing in the fields surrounding us. A regular chorus and so cheery.

My seedlings are doing really well... looking stocky and strong. I have a few cells that did not germinate - but the bulk of the plants look really good.

I was planning to weed and cultivate one corner of my bigger garden today. I am planning to work in this manner for the next several weekends... slowly doing the spring clean up in anticiption of the soon to come growing season. I need to pace myself though... as I have other weekend commitments for the next three weeks... AND... last year I gave myself a terrible case of tennis elbow from doing too much all at one time.

 

[amid chaos]

I raked out my bed over the septic tank yesterday because that's the only one without snow!

My peas are supposed to go in St. Patricks day, but I think I may need my snow shovel to plant the seeds!

 

[marydmjj]

Snowwark: Yes it was a Partylite candle party. I ended up spending too much AND booking a party! I'm a sucker.

I started some cool weather veggies today. They are safely tucked in peat pellets and sitting on my windowsill. I'm looking forward to having container veggies on my back deck this year. I haven't tried them before and my sister gave me a book and seeds for my birthday.

Things are supposed to cool down here the rest of the week and we could see a tiny bit of snow around Thursday. Nothing major but the weather people around here have been known to completely miss a storm. We shall see.

 

[Snowwark]

Mary, a couple of years ago I attended some Partylite candle parties, and ended up hosting one. I had a great time, and scored lots of cool stuff! I hope you have fun with it, and BIG sales!!

That was very nice of your sister. What kind of veggies are you going to grow?

 

[marydmjj]

SNOWWARK: She gave me this really great book, The Bountiful Container by Rose Marie Nichols McGee & Maggie Stuckey, and a bunch of seeds. Then I went out and bought a bunch more seeds! I've started lettuce, green onion, bush beans, bush peas and spinach. In addition to that I have pole beans, mescula mix, mixed lettuce, butternut squash, carrots, radish & pumpkin to grow from seed. I'm going to buy tomato starts when it warms up...and probably some other veggies. I have raised beds on the northwest side of the yard that I'm going to grow veggies in this year. I'm also going to have a bunch of containers on my back deck with different edibles growing.

I don't generally like veggies but something about being able to go and pick them for a meal is appealing this year. Maybe I'll acquire a taste for them if I grow them.

 

[Snowwark]

Wow Mary, I think you have most of the produce department covered there!!

Veggies that you grow yourself always taste extra good, I'm sure you'll enjoy them!