Glory Hallelujah! I'm INTO it, finally!

I got into to the garden today, and I am thrilled. This morning I measured the soil temperature to find it was 40 degrees which is the perfect temp for greens, lettuces, and cabbage.

My little starts all had their true leaves, and I'd hardened them off, and it won't free tonight.

You can see that I planted only one side of the bed.

The other side with have cucumbers grown on a tilted frame that will shade these lettuces

in July and August so they don't bolt.

Greens and leaf lettuce can be planted 8 inches apart.

I've protected the cabbages, below,

under a new fabric cover from Gardener's Supply Company.

The last event in the garden was to sprinkle crushed egg shells around all the greens to protect them from slugs.


My dear young friend, Hayden, dropped by, and she graciously took my picture.

That's it for now.

I'm taking off on Saturday for a few days at the ocean with my daughter and her two darlings. These starts needed to be IN before I left. The weather is wonderfully warm and there is a slight breeze...a perfect day for the first of many days of gardening.

I got INTO it, finally.

These plants can take frost and snow if it comes again too.

The varieties planted:

Lettuce: Cracoviensis, Winter Density Bibb, Forellenschluss, Crisp Mint

Cabbage: Gonzales, Super Red 80, Early Jersey Wakefield

Greens: Ruby Red Chard

This is Why!

This is why YOU, whoever YOU are,

have daffodils and crocuses

and why I don't!We got dumped on Friday night by a big snowstorm which left about 6 inches as it passed.

It was sunny on Saturday, and it is sunny today, so it is melting fast.

I feel especially tender towards my tiny primroses that, a couple weeks ago,

I pictured on a blog.

The buds have opened, but cautiously.

And these, above, are the extent of my daffydowndillies so far.

They are afraid to venture out too far, and for good reason!

When I turned from my photos to come in to write this a horse came down the street.

It was riderless and made me a little nervous.

On close following with my camera I saw that a lovely woman was behind it

'leading' it up the street. She was going by the nursing home to give the

residents a treat. When we spoke she said her mom was there.

This is why I love this place!

How many of you saw this today????

"Be End," as Jacob says.

Everyone put on a swimsuit, gathered a towel, and planted themselves in one of two vehicles for the ride to the Super 8 motel for a celebration of swimming, especially fun for the kids. However, when we arrived there was a party going on, and the pool was full. Lovella came up with the brilliant idea for the 'little 'uns' to make painted paper, while the men took Alana to the ranch for some 4-wheeling. Alina, the Queena the Trailer, inspects her hand for paint; she's kind of picky about how she looks...darling, of course.
Marcus was the paint mixer extraordinaire!

Evan loved making all kinds of patterns before texturizing his paper.

Isabella LOVES red and pink!

Kelly loves to get the kids lined up for funniness!

This is definitely NOT funny! This was my piece de resistance!

A Rhubarb Custard Pie

made with whole wheat pastry crust, and it was delicious, if I do say so myself.

It was one of many desserts ordered up for the celebrations.

Cream Puffs, Chocolate Cake with ice cream, and Liliquoi (Passion Fruit) Cheesecake were among the treats.

We know how to eat; and we know how to celebrate, don't we?





I couldn't resist this angelic pose, below, of Dante as he napped.

...of Isabella as she slept in on the last morning,

oops, I guess he was cute enough to picture twice!

My nephew, Jake, always used to say, "Be End!" at the end of a story.

That's how this one ends too.

Bonding Cousins...and More Bondings!

Isabella Rosalini Fettucini and Alina the Queena the Trailer,

both 5, both Girlie-Girls

had SO much fun coloring, dressing up dollies, pretending tea-party and playing house.

Precious memories we have from this weekend together.
Marcus wanted in on the action with the baby too, and Isabella was helpful.

Lovella headed up the tie-dying activity while Kimber rocked Dante and I played outside with the girls. The men, Stephen, Kelly, Grampa, and Evan were out at the ranch fooling with some piece of machinery.

Kelly is THE best uncle!

More bonding in the evening before bed. And Isabella is such a good big sister!

We looked forward to seeing and hearing the bonding conversations and activities of the little ones, as they don't meet up often. Here you can see 'Lisabella' (as Marcus called her) and Marcus. I'd set up a tent in the spare room for them to "camp out" in. The lights had gone out the first night, most everyone was in bed. And I thought I'd peak in on the campers. This is how they were poised, watching for Kelly to lie down on the couch. I fetched my camera for this shot, and they applied smiles. The loved sitting in my computer chair to watch the screensaver pictures of themselves rolling by. Since we had a camping theme I gave them each an old marshmallow left over from the camping trip we took in August. Their sweet nibbling sounds as they shared the chair and enjoyed the passing of their lives before them blessed my socks off!

There were very nearly inseparable, brushing their teeth together too. Because the house is so gibbered up in its floor plan they ALWAYS lost their way to the bathroom!

Kelly loves babies; and Dante is no exception!

Grampa Jay was enamored of this darling baby too.

Big "4" B'days

On Saturday, February 27th I turned a wonderful 64.

Both of my children came for a visit. Kelly, who turned 40 on Sunday, brought two of his dear ones: Alana, who turned 14 on Monday, and Marcus, 3 1/2. Kimber rode along with her two, Isabella, 5 and Baby Dante, 4 months.

Here I am on the first evening with the Baby Dante. He is SO mellow, rarely fusses over anything, and smiles often.

He appears to have a bit of a Charlie Brown look with his round face and serious expression. On Saturday, I was blessed with a few turns at holding him. Grampa Jay, Uncle Kelly, Auntie Lovella and Uncle Stephen all got in line behind me, so my turns were short.

This is my big boy, Kelly. We had tie-dyed 3 shirts as an activity to celebrate Alana's b'day when we found the swimming pool closed to us. Kelly honored us by wearing his to church! He is my precious one who will be training in the month of May to go to Afghanistan in June with the National Guard as a Chinook helicopter mechanic.

Alana had a great time tie-dying her shirts, eating Turkey Wraps and cream puffs, riding the 4-wheeler out at Grampa's ranch and taking her turn at holding the baby.

This is the first of several posts, mainly for my family who lives elsewhere and will want to see some of the 89 pictures I took.

Sure Signs of Spring

How about a goblet of Buttercups for your viewing pleasure?

One of my sweet students brought in a handful of Buttercups on Friday as a birthday gift to me (Saturday) without the stems (how else could a child pick them!).

They are floating even still (nearly 4 days later) in this crystal goblet, part of a large collection bought as a gift to my mother from my father on the occasion of my birth 64 years ago.

And then, in the afternoon, a flock of Bohemian Waxwings joined us nibbling the mummified apples (from last fall)still on the tree and on the ground.
There is one Robin in the group above, I believe.

Isn't this sweet... one feeding another?

You can really see the feathery topnotch on this beauty.

Divine blessings inhabited my camera on Friday as I was fortunate to get this shot.

It is very warm and sunny today; the wintersown flowers are peaking up

in their greenhousey containers; and I am starting tomatoes as soon as I finish this.

Spring has sprung, for sure