Signs of Spring

*  Mid March, 2018  Planting an entire flat of Pansies and Johnny Jump Ups.  Then G brought home a gallon jasmine, a white low flowering thing (what?), a pair Renunculus (bright red and bright yellow).  Stuck some of the plants that have been on the front stoop for months into the ground.

* March 17-18  We bought and spread a dozen bags of cedar mulch.  That always looks so nice?!!  Stuck a new box of solar lights in along the walkway.  Cut back dead stalks on the mums, etc.  Cleaned up the mess on the silver shelves.  Stuck all G's gardening tools in the shed. Gave the chickens a bale of straw to spread (that also looks lovely).  Rearranged all the pots and swept.  Threw away most of the old spider-infested doggy tennis balls.

*Kicked the chickens out of the garden. ((Wonder when we end up doing this each year? Are we early? Late? Or roughly on the same schedule as always?))


*Fenced off the sun chokes in the chicken yard since the batch in a pot nearby is sprouting already, and repaired the shade cloth up over the day yard in the spots where the wind had torn it loose and peeled it back). Stood on the step-stool and tugged it back into place, then fastened it down with zip ties.

 *Watering. Getting the beds ready to plant things

*Chopped down the zinnia stalks and started prepping the cement-block-flower-border


*Planted some chard seeds and a few kale (Must remember to water them)


*Emptied out the front compost bin.  We had left it to "cook" for 2 months, so had high hopes.  Alas, it had gone anaerobic all through it.  Too wet.  Smelled nasty.  I put most of it into the wheelbarrow then put it in the walkway between 2 raised beds to keep the dogs out of it until I can decide what to do next.  Maybe just turn it out, fluff it, and put it back in and cover?  Left about a quarter of it in the bin itself.  Fluffed it, spun it.  Check in next week and see how it's doing?



 *Still struggling to get used to Daylight Saving time, since the family visit allowed me to be lazy. Noticed this morning that the light has almost caught up to us. (Lovely. What a blessing). 6:08AM a faint waterwash the color of store-bought cantaloupe (i.e. slightly unripe). It was oddly soothing not to be alone in the dark struggling to wake up and face the week.