🙂
LOL!
Nothing to see here. No green outside!
The grounds are still covered in snow even though we have officially heralded-in spring! But I got an itchy green thumb that is sooooo excited for seedlings, plants, flowers, veggies, and garden-life in general!
Gosh, what a l-o-n-g drawn out winter this one has been! You would think (due to being more-indoors than out) that I would be all-over this blog, writing away and posting recipes, maybe talking medicinal plants or something…
Nope.
And that’s okay.
It’s okay to not be blogging all the time. Not that I was before or previously did/do. 🙂
I also tend to just flat-out forget. Forget to be doing a check-in or something. I have some A.D.D., a bit of a procrastinator, will have tendencies to lose interest, maybe get bored – all while occasionally having multiple irons-in-the-fire and/or moments of chicken-with-its-head-cut-off scenarios that can leave me drained and exhausted! Not sure what ‘that‘ all is – except being human with several other interests! LOL!
So, on that note…
A quick check-in before things around here start picking up speed!
First up: Happy 2023! I can still say that, right? It’s still early enough. But gotta be honest – I always felt spring/vernal equinox was the real, true, ‘new year’ start. I know it was way, way, back in the ancient day… before all this man-made calendar stuff started accumulating. So, yes… happy new astrological year! Spring/equinox, Aries season, new beginnings and new-ness/fresh start and all that good-gooey warm-vibes!
As an Aries I resonate with all-that-is: March and April. There really is a spring-in-my-step as the sun shines brighter, days immediately get longer 🙂 and the winter melts away, birds are singing, the chickens get back to egg laying… and seeds are sprouting in the living room window! 🙂
And second up is:
Current status: waiting for more snow to melt off! We are starting to see the ground this past week… muddy, mucky ground. But I’ll take it! It’s not uncommon for us to have a really nice week come through and do a wonderful job at getting some serious melt-off action! Which, I wanna say – just might be happening now! I know the chickens love it, the dog & cat loves it… we all love it!
I have a few tomato seedlings on the window sill – all cute and little-leggy-things 🙂 Besides starting celery too – that’s about it for actual future garden-dwellers at this time. I know I am supposed to be getting more starts going but I always ‘fight this’ as I am a huge fan of direct sowing. I know I don’t live in the best zone to be doing this – but I do. Many things I plant don’t transplant well anyways. So – I direct sow, cross my fingers, and hope I am blessed with at least one little gem-offering that allows seed collecting!
I had a summer, not too long ago, where it was a total seed-saver year garden. We hardly ate anything out of it! Ooops! But I got a nice haul of future-gen seeds that I am now (still) planting! I love it!
We keep working on the improvement of the garden area; as well as the pastures and plant-life in general. There is a goal of building a green house. Ya, we don’t have one. But – it can’t be just any green-house or hoop house… those don’t make the winters around here. We see so many hoop houses and tunnels get annihilated by snow load. No thank you. We want to construct something a little bit ‘under-ground’, can be used all year, and I can put my lemon tree(s) in! It’s a dream that is slowly building; we’ll get there. And when it comes into fruition… maybe I WILL get more seedlings and starts goin’ like crazy! They can take over that space instead of our… entire house! LOL!
As we patiently wait for the ability to walk across the garden 🙂 I keep mulling over seeds and organizing what’s going to be getting precious real-estate out there this year. I always tell myself I’m going to really hone it and fine tune what I am growing – but then, when it’s time to plant – all those ‘organized’ plans kind-of go out the window!
Because I want to just grow… everything!
🙂
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Well, I wasn’t kidding…
Here’s a couple of my succulents! Because why not!
Keeping my green-thumb happy during the dead-of-winter is with none-other (but not limited to) than some hot-desert cacti! I brought back a hedgehog and a paddle from AZ last year. My little souvenirs are still thriving!
1. The hedgehog was just a tiny lump; I’m stoked it’s quadrupled (x2) in growth over the year! I’m really hoping that it will start giving me another little hedgehog or two!
2. The paddle was left-for-dead (which is apparently quite common for the AZ environment/inhabitants, as it seems to be considered a ‘weed’! LOL!). I brought the (big paddle not pictured) sweet thing home, put it in some dirt, and it took off! Even blessed us with some flowers! That – was amazing! This winter, Paddy (yup, named it), has been dropping babies! I pick ’em up and lay them in this pot. Fingers are crossed that these little guys take-off and do well – just like their mama did!
3. The Rhipsalis was also a propagated cutting that is doing really well. Not from AZ but from a friends house. 🙂 This little guy has been in the tiny pot for 2 years and the roots are peaking out the bottom hole. So, I upped-it to a bigger pot with room to spread. And since I took this pic, it’s been a week, it’s already giving me all kinds of new growth! How fun!
C and K farmin' 