Got out the shorts the day before yesterday. (Such a fashion statement when worn with high rubber boots and heavy sweatshirts). Washed and put away my ancient Brown's Feed winter hat and the fleece vest I won at the Midvale Vet Clinic picnic several years ago.... Which I wear between the several-many turtle necks and sweatshirts of winter and the once-blue, but now sort of slatey-dun over shirt to keep off the snow.
It has been in the upper fifties with sun, light breezes, sometimes a little nippy, but nicely invigorating. There be spring peepers and some new kind of sparrow, which calleth from the mulberry tree when I was working in the yard yesterday. Somebody with a thick, buzzy, guttural call I have never heard before.
Liz's boy friend even rototilled the garden last night. (Thanks, Jade.) Man, that dirt looks like crumbly chocolate cake, all fluffy and black and begging for seed.
Garlic is up and doing great. Becky and I planted FIVE ROWS last fall. (I normally plant about twenty cloves.) I don't know what got into us, but a good third of the upper garden is in garlic.
It is easy to see why the one farm implement I have never driven is the corn planter. I have chopped, I have baled, I have raked and raked and raked. I have cultipacked, and disked a little and driven the tedder for hours. But never the planter...or the grain drill for that matter. Not without reason.
My garlic rows are nice and straight.
Parallel, not so much. Looks like I was writing my initials in garlic, a sort of a smelly tribute to my homemade spaghetti sauce or something.
Alas as I sit here shivering at the computer with that freshly laundered vest on INDOORS plus long johns, and a heavy sweater and a turtleneck and a sweatshirt, I am figuring that it may be just a tad too early for planting anything but lettuce.
And I plant that in barrels.
Ah, well, spring is a firm believer in courtship, and makes us all dance attendance on her.
One step forward and two steps back. It'll get here, don't you worry.
Boy, sounds like you are enjoying the spring weather! Rich and I went to the auction yesterday and I was able to buy a couple of hay wagons finally and so I am getting ready for the summer weather ;)
ReplyDeleteYup, you nailed it!
ReplyDeleteWe're getting closer to spring......I can tell by the HUGE variety of outer wear in the porch.....everything from the heaviest of parkas to a light hoodie. I don't even want to mention the footwear that I put away every week depending on what's going on outside.
ReplyDeleteMy Tarda tulips are up though;)
I wonder if, this year, I'll get the winter coats and jackets off the hooks by the door and put away in a closet somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it would be . . . worthwhile...
Got it in one. As for me, I would prefer 2 steps FORWARD and 1 step back (should Gaia demand that backward step at all).
ReplyDeleteLisa, Liking the nice days...not so much the other kind. Congrats on your wagons, That is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteJB, alas
Linda, oh, man, same thing here. There are PILES, MOUNTAINS, MOUNDS, of coats and windbreakers and pull overs and boots, and boots and boots....everywhere. And mine are too and I think of you every time I see them!
June, I have this pull over that I wear for work...I usually get it put away...finally....in early July. And then I get it out again for camp in case we want to fish and it gets chilly...lol
Joated, I feel kinda cheated. It is more like March then April here. Everything seems about a month behind this year.
You are definitely planting your garlic wrong. Every farmer knows you can fit more in a crooked row! I can't throw stones, though. I never had much luck with garlic. Maybe my garden moves around too much!
ReplyDeletePaul, rolf, that is exactly what my husband said when I told him about them! Farmers think alike I guess. He has always been really fussy about his rows though.
ReplyDelete"Ah, well, spring is a firm believer in courtship, and makes us all dance attendance on her."
ReplyDeletebest line of the season. brava, and stay warm!
Ericka, thanks! I have a whopping hickory fire going...hopefully the house will warm up pretty soon.
ReplyDelete