It's time to get down and dirty. That means it's manure and compost time in the gardens.

My patience has run out.  I can't wait any longer.  I need flowers blooming and warm sunny days.

That meant I had to buy the flowers.

  Why does Maggie look so sad?  Her Frisbee is lying on the porch and she just doesn't understand why someone can't throw it for her 24/7. 




You may want to know why did I splurge and buy all those pansies?   Because, it's an incentive to keep going out every day to spread many many many many bags of manure and compost on my beds.    It's not the fun part of gardening, but a necessary part.

 I need some lettuce to go with my ripe tomatoes.
 

I have started adding compost and manure to my flower beds (There are eleven flower beds.  I need to STOP adding more beds).  There's also the raspberries, blackberries, grapes, tomato beds, and vegetable garden.

I have placed seven bags so far and only have 41 more to go.  (Don't tell Retired Mountain Man how many bags it takes to keep this garden going.)


It takes a lot of good compost and manure to grow these every year.

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”  Buddha

The first ripe tomatoes for the 2013 season

Here they are:

There's more to come.

I have started hardening them off by setting them outside for an hour.   Here they are - very happy in the bay window, with tomatoes ripening away!

Happy Birthday to son #2

We knew he would grow up to be a great dad!  One who wouldn't mind dressing up as the Cat in the Hat for his three-year-old son on Halloween.

Or hanging out with his college student son building a computer or telling sharing stories about his  Forest Service fire-fighting days and more........

Happy Birthday to a great son, husband, dad, chemist, carpenter, hunter, gardener, painter and general Mr. Fix it guy.  He is following in his dad and older brother's footsteps in that he is one of those "guy guy's"  You know, one of those guys with "skills". 

2012 Wine Tasting Test Results

The tasting results:   all four wines are too acidic.  I added potassium carbonate to all of the carboys and will wait a couple of weeks before tasting again.  

The white wine will need a bit of clarifying but with a little work it should be ready to bottle in another month.

We had visitors while I was in the middle of my wine testing.

 Maggie didn't notice they were there, but once it was pointed out to her she was after them!

We  have had several days of very cold and windy weather here.  This morning's low temperature was 24 degrees.  I need it to warm up and decide to be spring as my Red Robin tomatoes need to be moved outside to the deck.  The all have tomatoes ripening and I need the space they are taking up for all of my other veggies and annuals that I have started.

It's time to have some sunlight on these plants.

 

 

Cheers!

April showers bring May flowers.... April showers bring May flowers.....

 April showers bring May flowers.  If I say it enough times, maybe I can get over all the rain!

 Yes, I am still working on those Zen habits.  

Focus

De-Clutter

30 day goal

 

    I am also patiently waiting for these to show up in my front yard. 

 

I just know it's sunny and warm somewhere!

Soggy Days are here again.

Yes, soggy.  Cold, damp, wet, rainy, snowy, windy, foggy........It's spring in North Idaho.   

The view of the front porch this morning. 

There is always hope.  My Red Robin tomatoes are getting ripe.

I have started seeds for tomatoes, peppers, basil, rosemary, and eggplant.  It's not exactly a scientific operation here, but it works.  It's very warm in our living room due to the wood heat.  Once the seeds have sprouted I move the plants to the wood room in the basement and put them under the lights.  

It's only been four days since I planted the zinnia seeds and they have already started to sprout!

Spring!  

Bring it on!

Peeps anyone?

 Do you know anyone who actually eats those marshmallow peeps Easter candies?  I do.  Retired Mountain Man loves them.

The Easter Bunny showed up and dropped off lots of chocolate and other goodies for Collin and Rylee.  

Retired Mountain Man was lucky enough to get his favorite Easter candy, Peeps.  (3 dozen)

By the afternoon the weather was so nice we had to go for a hike.  

 

We had to ford Cougar Creek and both kids very excited about attempting that.   They couldn't wait to try to get their feet wet.  The rest of us went upstream to find a place where we could just jump over it.

 

 

 I will say that our pace heading back down the hillside was probably not fast enough to burn many of those chocolate bunny calories or peep calories.

We were going to try microwave "peep jousting" but forgot. 

 It's really fun.  They swell up as they cook in the microwave and the winner is the one with the peep who lasts the longest.

Retired Mountain Man will eat peeps until he gets sick.  I think he plans to start with the pink ones.  Then the yellow ones and finally, the blue ones.  Ew!