Back in the real world

The wild storms we had last week, knocked out the local Internet Relay thingies in our county.  The one servicing our area, was down for nearly a week.  I really hadn't realized how much our connection intertwines with our lives, for little things like "what's the weather tomorrow, honey?".   Oh well, we're back.  I found myself reading, just for fun, which was, well, fun!   Gotta love a trashy novel once in a while.

While we couldn't stream the Stanley Cup games, I still kept up with my Stanley Cup spinning.  I really wasn't sure if it should count, since there wasn't actually a game on in the house.  However, I've been figuring game coverage is normally 2 - 2.5 hours, so I tried to get that in on game days.   I missed one, but the two bags of rovings are finished.  I went looking for some fleece to card and found, hidden away, a bag with 1.9 lbs of lovely white Shetland rovings.  That is my next effort to spin up during games.  I do hope Vancouver makes it to the next round though.  I was a tad disappointed when the Habs didn't make it through. 

Spring is trying so hard to make an appearance..  It mainly feels springlike.   The ground has finally dried enough to not feel like one is walking on sponges.  The garden has been turned and ready to plant, when the time is right of course.   

Winter Sown Experiments: Success!

The Winter Sown bottles have been a success.  I planted Golden Marguerite, Icelandic Poppies, Red Yarrow, Rudbekia Goldsturm, Black Hollyhocks, Single Hollyhocks, Lupins, Gaillardia and something else I think.  Only the Red Yarrow and Rudbekia have not germinated.   It's last year's seed and they didn't germinate last year.  I am wondering if the seed was old or bad.   I'll be looking for actual plants this year!  Otherwise, I'm thrilled with the results.

Last year's pot hyacinths, planted in the fall.

 I had bought several pots of forced Hyacinth bulbs last spring.  I kept the plants growing until the foliage died back and let the bulbs dry out.   I planted them in the fall.  Although not all of them survived, enough did to make a pretty little patch of colour.   I'll do the same with the ones I bought this spring as well!

The Lilac trees have tiny leaves and little flower buds.   It's so reassuring to see them.  Despite the fact that they are white, they are still one of the sure signs of spring that I remember from my childhood.  I'd rather that they were purple, dark purple or even pink, but they are mature, so the blooms are lovely.     If the breeze is right and the day warm enough, the scent of the Lilacs is intoxicating.

Peas!

The peas have finally started to show.  So much for the cool weather issue.  We've had so much rain that I feared they had washed away.  Nope, still there, just a tad delayed.   The onion sets are up,  the garlic seems to be hale and hardy.  It's about a foot tall now.   The tomato plants are looking fine and should be able to go in the ground in a couple of weeks, along with the cucumbers, squashes, zucchini and peppers, etc.

The Green Haze of the First Young Leaves

The Willow trees are among the first to leaf out.  The soft green haze glowing  amongst the brown of the rest of the trees is one of those heart pitty-patty making signs of spring.   I do find the first sight of emerging leaves so exciting.

Remember, it's almost Dandelion season.   Pick off the flower heads and use them in a dye pot.  They produce a beautiful shade of yellow.  Dandelion flowers also freeze well.  Toss them in a freezer bag and you can use them at your leisure!