Really Spring

Great Sippewisset Marsh

We had such a nice warm weekend that I am confident about spring really being here.  We haven't passed the last frost date yet, but the winter was so mild and the temperatures so warm now I don't expect to see a hard freeze. I hope I don't live to regret my confidence! The trees are leafing out and the garden is coming back to life in force. I started a bed of hydrangeas and hostas in the back corner of our lot which I hope will be a lovely place to sit in a few years. Everything looks good back there, and I was able to apply a generous top dressing of compost to give the new plants a fighting chance against the existing tree roots. Lucky for me I can take as much compost as I want from the dump because my own is no where near ready yet. That will be the corner where Inace's little boat will be living as a planter. I have great hopes that in time it will be a gorgeous part of my garden. Due to the kindness of one of my knitting friends and her handy husband my lawn mower issue is settled and the grass is cut. I'm sure this improves my standing in the neighborhood; the weeds were outstanding and the grass was looking like an unmade bed by the time we got it cut. Last night we went to the local hardware store and bought a trimmer to finish the job and a pair of loppers to allow me to finish up the pruning our giant forsythia so richly deserves.

Last night we had a salad  straight from our lettuce planter - you can't get any fresher than that! There have been a few cold nights since we set up out lettuce and herb planters. This did not agree with the basil but everything else is doing just great. Next things in pots will be some cilantro and a few pots of flowers, and when the nights are a little warmer we'll try some tomatoes. Now that we have some chairs on the deck we are wishing for colorful pots of blooms.

Sunday after the lawn mowing Shana and I went out for a ride on the Shining Sea Bikeway with some friends. Shana and I had not been out since last year and our friends had been out only once; we were all trying not to be too ambitious. It was a perfect day and we all had a great time. Ten miles out and back were plenty for me on my mountain bike, and Shana was glad she rode a shorter distance. We both need some more riding time to avoid feeling saddle sore. One friend wants to train for a long distance event so she'll be up for some mileage but needs to shop for a new bike to replace her 70's vintage steel motobecane. It is in perfect condition but weighs as much as my mountain bike. With weather like we had Sunday it won't be a hardship to put in some miles. Of course today is grey and cool and tomorrow will be rainy and cooler. I hope to ride some this weekend when the rain is over and the warm weather returns.

I'm done with baby blankets for the moment except for weaving in some ends. For my next project I have a few knitted items in an unfinished state and some house projects that need to be done. There are some baseboards waiting for paint and a watercolor in progress that needs about a day's work to finish. The big outdoor projects for the season are done but the weeding is never ending as is the task of adding compost to the existing planting areas.

Roxy is showing her age these days. Her hearing is pretty awful and she sleeps sounder. When I woke her up to go outside last night she nearly jumped out of her skin. She may not live to see another birthday if she does not stop eating my Georgia Peach heuchera. Nearly every day she walks into the middle of the bed to chomp the leaves right off of it. I have several varieties but this is the only one she has any interest in.