Spring is coming

I can feel it. The forsythia are getting ready to bloom the green house is filling up

the bulbs are coming up

my daughter's seedlings are popping up

so are Farmer Dad's

and our seeds are here from Johnnies.

I'm ready to plant..at least in my mind.

The sun is shining

and all the plants are outside for some fresh air.

It is warming up enough to open the windows

and walk outside without a coat. The greens are enjoying it,

and the crocuses are out.

Yesterday was still gray and snow covered.

But the cardinals were at the feeder, and that always brightens my day.

The same could be said of this lovely Paper white sitting on the kitchen table.

The living room will have a bit of bloom to cheer it soon as well.

These plum branches are just about ready to open up.

We might have been inside keeping warm, but ,George, the "cat next door"

was hard at work, patrolling the grounds. Don't fear for the birdies, he is not a bird cat.

He takes care of any rodents, the doves and other birds don't mind him a bit.

Maybe, because he has birds in his house, he does not bother the wild birds.Or, maybe there are enough rodents in the neighborhood to satisfy his need to hunt.

Seedlings and snow

Farmer Dad picked up a new light for the seedlings.

we thinned some

watched the resident Cardinal visit the new birdfeeder

Spring was in the air, although it got much colder Sunday than Saturday.

Then it snowed.

Schools and businesses closed on Monday. We had a snow day with Farmer Dad

as his business was closed for the day. Too fluffy to build, but fun to play in.

64 degrees and snow on the way

You heard me. What is with that? Oh yeah, I remember,

it is still winter! It was so warm today, I thought spring had arrived.

I have seeds sprouting (mostly mustard), These are from Johnnies but all our

seed company preferences are listed on the right somewhere.and branches blooming (plum branches)

(inside, not outside), and we played outside without coats on today.

Just a break in the weather? Maybe. It's OK, I'll take it. I was able to

open the windows to let out all the germs from our being sick the last week

and a half (or more?) and let the fresh air in.Then the rain came.

It's too cloudy to see Venus.

At last the seed sowing has begun

This is what it looks like in our little corner of the Garden State..Farmer Dad fills the six packs with starter mix,
while Princess writes out the labels (copied off the seed packet)

Once all the labels are written out, the seed sowing begins

We started :

• Red Wing Lettuce Mix
• Mizuna Japanese Mustard
• Japanese Giant Red Mustard
• Green Wave Mustard
• Pac Choi
• Green Butterhead Lettuce
• Ho Mi Z Green Mustard
• Merveille Des Quatre Saisons Butterhead Lettuce
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Tatsoi
• Giant Ceasar Lettuce
• Georgia Collards

The finished product may not look like much to you, but to us it is the real promise of spring!

After we were done, we went outside for a walk around the yard

checking what might be popping up

happily, finding the snow drops have popped up

spring can't be too far off can it?

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

My in box today contained a bit of good news,

instead of a letter asking me to sign a letter of complaint

against a company, or government official, I received this...
Dear KATE, (yes, that is my real name)

Less than a month after his appointment, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is already calling for policies that echo our efforts to stop the loss of agricultural land, support local food and conserve our land and water resources. Secretary Vilsack's openness to new ideas that promote a better understanding of where our food comes from—as well as his commitment to increased diversity in our food production system—will help lead to healthier citizens, a better environment and new opportunities for farmers.
Please sign a letter of support to Secretary Vilsack today and thank him for his strong start to addressing these important issues.
Last Thursday, Secretary Vilsack literally “broke new ground” by tearing up a tract of pavement at USDA headquarters that will be replaced with a green landscape. His pledge to establish gardens at every USDA office throughout the world—from window boxes to full-fledged plots—is a pledge we can carry to our own homes and communities!
In a monumental show of support for farmland protection, Secretary Vilsack also called upon fellow government officials and citizens to join him in replacing excessive asphalt with natural landscapes, along with building community gardens and protecting our natural resources. His fast action on making a commitment to protecting farms from development comes at a critical time for farms and farmland across the country.
Secretary Vilsack is also presenting a new vision for agriculture by proposing new ways to encourage and reward farmers’ efforts to protect the environment. His plan includes offering “green payments” for farms of all sizes that use their land to help absorb carbon and provide clean water and other environmental benefits. These incentives could reinvigorate the agriculture sector and reward farmers for the environmental benefits they provide.
We compliment Secretary Vilsack for his early and earnest commitment to healthy farms, healthy food and healthy communities. Please join me in sending a letter of support to Secretary Vilsack thanking him for the steps he is taking to protect our farm and ranch land and promote a greener future through American agriculture

Naturally, I clicked right over and did so.

My cold has me feeling pretty gloomy right about now,

and Farmer Dad moved a bunch of stuff in our "school room" to make way for

starting seeds, which did not make me happy. Yes, I am all for

starting seeds, but many,MANY,people do it in their basement...

why can't he? Oh well, I guess I can "take one for the team".

By the way, got the e-mail confirming our town's community garden plot.

Princess and I are very excited. Our very own little space. We'll grow what

we want how we want.We washed out our seed trays and got everything set up.

This week, we'll start some seeds.

Backyard Bird Count

How many did you count? just when it looked like we would have none, our bird feeder started getting busy..

many more flew away as we tried to photograph

Need more info?Great Backyard Bird Count
Farmer Dad and Princess got to play a bit, after we cleaned up all the

mess from the high winds the other day.

The 50mph+ winds toppled our hoop house. :-(

No real damage done, but this will surely affect my

early spring plans.

Hope you all had a lovely Valentines Day!