Diary 3/23/12

Nice and busy day.  Attacked some blackberry bushes that have been encroaching the yard.  We will level the area out, add landscape cloth and create a new picnic area or? Everybody was there to help including the dog, cats, and chickens. Sun had the frogs croaking and robins cheeping.  Wish it would stay like this for days, but NO, it is going to rain for the next six days.

Diary 3/22/12

The sun was out for a short time today and I tried to go out and do a little weeding, but I had no stamina, and accomplished little other than admiring how well the weeds were growing and finding where a gopher had eaten some pea sprouts xxx###!!!### . I did get some of the baby tomatoes into their trays.  I finished setting up the lights yesterday.  I dreamed of getting one of the new LED light systems, but I know the price is going to go down rapidly and the technology will increase likewise, so for now, set up the same old shop lights, nothing special, but they have worked for 30 years. So here is a picture of the first gold cherry tomatoes and the variety I grow the most of, SuperTasty. Aren't they sweet?

Diary 3/21/12

Raining hard. Snowing north of here in Eugene, just the way the jet stream has set up.  Not sure when we should start building the ark. I guess we get a break on Friday before more rain on the weekend. Puddles everywhere as the ground is saturated. Hunkering down, trying to get well. Sun would help.

Diary 3/20/12

Happy Spring! My eldest child is 33 today.  Trying not to think how old that makes me feel.  Ah well, I would feel quite a bit better if I were not fighting this congestive cough virus.  I don't think I am losing ground, but I have had a low grade 99.4 to 100.2 temperature for three days and it is certainly making me weary.  Nap time soon , maybe after some lunch.  Although I am not as hungry as usual, I still have an apatite.  Woke up to another overnight snow storm.  Some very wet and sloppy stuff.  It has been raining since daylight, but seems to just absorb into the snow as most of it is still on the trees, deck, lawn, etc.  Puddles are forming as well as rivulets, so soon the snow will wash down to the creek.   Planted the first tomatoes into their trays as they has sprouted.  Started another batch which is how it will go for the next couple weeks.  Towards the end of the first week of April, I will start peppers and then squash and cucumbers after that.  Looking outside, it is hard to imagine, but it can switch over to warm sunny days at any point and I kinda hope it does so soon!

Diary 3/18/12

Snowing again.  I think we may have had more snow in March than we had all winter.  If it is anything like last year, this sort of thing is going to continue until mid-May.  Good day to lay about and try to get well.  It was sunny for the middle of the day, but another blizzard just started and the wind made the snow approach the house sideways, first from one direction and then violently switching 180 to blow snow back the other direction.  Crazy.  The bad news is this jump rope jet stream is going to divide the country again with tornadoes occurring along the border of the very cold and very warm fronts. Spring begins in a few days, but there is no sign of it here.

Diary 3/17/12

Fist Buttercups

After nursing my husband for 2 weeks, I have the same crud.  Sorry to be missing a St. Patty's party at my next door neighbor's, but don't want to be passing what I have around. Snow due this afternoon with little accumulation.  At least hanging out and napping feels better when it is snowing than when it is sunny. Hopefully I can nip this in the bud and don't have to go through the long version that my husband is slowly recovering from.  Didn't get those tomatoes started, so will do so now.

Diary 3/16/12

The rain which came down in buckets yesterday leaving 1.6 inches in the gauge has slowed today.  Of course when I went out to try to get something done, it started up again and is once again raining hard. Seed trays are ready.  I will start the first tomatoes tonight.  It will take them a few days to sprout and then they go upstairs under lights.  I keep them here in the house for the first three weeks or so of their lives. Here we go!