My 1st Spring Show!!

Spring Cleaning Is In The Air!

I am ready to shake this place up! Too long have heavy curtains been drawn across dingy windows, quilts of autumn hues thrown across sofa backs, and dust bunnies thriving in nooks and crannies. Well, no more. For it is Spring and we have come out of hibernation. Doors and windows are flung open for fresh air. Then closed again as the cool air reminds me that it is a mere 44 degrees!

 Like the solitary bee who first appears in the early season, gathering strength and beckoning the others to come out of the hive, I am gathering my troops to meet their duties with that same determination. We will exchange the snow shovel for the rake, the snow thrower for the leaf blower and march out into the newly awakened world. Rugs are hung over railings and beat with abandon. Decks are swept and the land is surveyed.

 Where will the hammock go? We need new path lights set there. Another wind chime will be wonderful there. A new flower bed should go there.I want those shrubs moved to there.

The birds are boisterous and excited also. They chatter over their suet meals, squabble over the sunflower seeds and lay claim to last years nests.

 The Northern Flickers are sizing up the telephone pole in the back of the yard for their own and chasing off the mourning doves who like to perch there. No longer content with his cache of filberts and walnuts, our little squirrel  delights in teasing the dogs by running just out of their reach along the fence and into the cherry tree  for his share of seed.

Dan and I both thought we saw and heard a hummingbird so we dig out the feeders and prepare them for the tiny visitors that rely on the nectar for warmth and energy.
The bulbs we planted last fall are breaking thru mulched beds s are the garlic and onions. The koi are up closer to the surface of the pond tho still sluggish, but any day now will be looking for their first seasons feeding of Cheerios to break their winter fast. A bag or two of water softener salt to put a healthy slime coat  on their skin and all the pumps turned back on and we will be ready. The pond looks naked now but soon the plants along the edge will appear and the first long-legged lily pads will appear on the surface.
The tomato plants have come up and soon will need to be divided and put into bigger pots. Early summer flowers are started in the greenhouse and potted plants overwintered are trimmed and fertilized. The sun-warmed greenhouse is very cozy this time of year and a welcome retreat when a sudden downpour or a snow shower sends us scurrying inside.

The chickens are gearing up. The ground has thawed and special treats of weed seeds that have sprouted and bugs and worms crawling up out of the depths cause much excitement and clucking.No part of the garden is left unturned. every nook and cranny is explored. The roosters, ever vigilant, strut  amongst their flocks, casting glances round for intruders from above.
Back inside cupboards and drawers are thrown open. The time for organizing and sorting has begun. What should be kept, given away, re-purposed? The pantry is organized and lists of new supplies for the jam-making season are written.

New recipes join old ones and beloved cookbooks stand shoulder to shoulder with crisp new volumes. Likewise, the library shelves in the office are given a quick dusting, because to tarry too long there would result in the rest of the day spent in idle repose, leafing thru craft design books or sighing over the pictures in the gardening and decor books.

Travel books on the coffee tables that kept us dreaming of warm, far-away places throughout the winter are replaced with the latest garden magazines and the newest release of the Flea Market style magazine.

Fresh bouquets from the grocer are used to brighten  houseplants long overdue a leaf rinsing and fertilizing.
Counters are swept clean of clutter, cabinets are polished, and displays are dusted.

Bread is baking in the oven, the dishwasher is humming and the vacuum is chasing the last of winters grit from under sofas and in corners. Pastels and bright colors in pillows and coverlets, rugs and curtains replace the heavy and more somber colors of winter.

Spring has arrived, even as the wind howls and the snow and sleet beats down. We take comfort in knowing that one day soon, it will be warm again!

Is It Spring Yet?

Okay, not like I'm rushing it or anything. Bot we have had two (count 'em) days of nice weather! As in temps in the 50's! Ya hoo! So it's gotta be Spring, right? The robins are back in the largest flocks I have ever witnessed. The pussy willow is pussying, and fat juicy shoots are breaking the surface and pushing up thru leaf-strewn ground.

We have been out those couple of days and got an amazing amount of work done. Trees pruned or removed entirely. Entire beds removed and awaiting replanting or reconfiguring. General clean-up and revamping.
Of course we are very careful not to walk upon the cold soil lest we ruin it for the season. No digging yet so we don't turn it into cold hard concrete. Just an occasional flick with the rake or a lean over to tug out an unruly plant.
And plans! Yes I have more plans in store for this year! Moving shrubs around. Adding new fruit trees as an espalier revolution down the front side fence. Removing the old overgrown butterfly garden. Adding a bog garden and new plantings along the north side of the pond. Widening the grass pathway on the south side of the pond to accommodate the mower. Making room for more varieties of hops.
Some may get done. Some may get started and then left  for more exciting ventures. Some may lay dormant in my mind and on pages of my garden diary till time and energy permit. But still I dream!

I fear I have been remiss in writing this blog as I have come upon an exhilarating new site called Pinterest!!!  Now if you have not hear of this, rush immediately to pinterest.com/gardenmaid. There you will see my 'boards' and learn about this site and in fact my interests! And by all means star some of your own  today! it has become the new social network.
I am still selling jams on Etsy and have a sale going on right now. Lots of yummies still left!
Saturday morning I went to the Kootenai county Farmers Market members meeting.This will be my 6th year there! Have lots of new ideas for it as well!
 kootenaifarmersmarket.org

Also hoping to get into the Farm Chicks show.I seriously need help in designing my booth. Send me ideas and maybe we will have a contest!
thefarmchicks.com


Speaking of that; has everyone seen the new magazine "Vintage Style"? To die for! Right up my alley! And the new issue of Flea Market Style is out!

Did you see that Home Depot is the first retailer to accept PayPal as a way to pay in their stores? What a great idea.I am already signed up and got their access card. Do you?

Okay take a breath and slow down! Am I rambling. This is how my brain goes now that I am having 'menopausal dementia'. I am literally filled with bits and pieces of info that I try to get out before losing them, or periods of blankness where I can't remember something I am trying to say or do. So get it out quickly before it's gone. Whether speaking or writing. I have bits and pieces of notes written laying all over the house and stuffed in the pockets of my pants or jackets.

I am taking an online course on tax liens and deeds. It is very interesting but demanding of time. Lots of research by phone and Internet. Hopefully it will become a rewarding business venture. Dan and Betsy are my cohorts in this, but if it does fulfill what it promises, I hope to involve other family and friends.

I awoke to pouring rain this morning. We set the clocks ahead an hour so it was still relatively dark. I looked out thru the sunroom and watched the light fill the sky. The weather progressed into patches of sun then sleet and more rain. It became colder and then just as the sun set it broke thru the clouds and lit up the sky one last time.
May your days turn warm and sunny and all the beauty of the Spring flowers fill you with joy.
Patti

What's On Your Kitchen / DiningTable?

Okay, honesty time. I'm looking at my table and can't actually see my table? It's pushed up against the wall with three of the chairs upside down on it in back.
Then on the chairs are the boxes that just came from UPS filled with hanging glass balls and teardrops for the terrariums I will be planting.
Below that are the seed catalogs and bins of last years seeds that have been inventoried with invoices for seeds newly ordered.
Taking over the left side are kegs of beer covered in towels fermenting for the desired number of weeks before bottling. With the furnace vent just below, it is the ideal warm spot for such an activity! Alongside them are the boxes of bottles, caps and the antique bottle capper recently acquired via E Bay.
In front are precarious stacks of glass baking pans, pie pans, Corning Ware baking dish sets, mixing bowls, serving bowls, and bread pans. These are from the little frenzy of re-organizing the kitchen pantry and island cupboards that took place one morning before work this week.
Next to them are last years business receipts and invoices, inventory lists, documents and files from the business taxes that were just completed.
Add in a few misplaced bills, Valentines decorations ready to be put up, a sack of clothes for the Goodwill, supplies for the next batch of Chex mix and a 25 pound box of dog treats and you have my dining room table! What would we do without it?


Here's what my table should look like