It is hard to believe that you've already been gone three and a half weeks. That we're already well into February and planning ahead for March. The time is flying. It seems like I spent all of last week catching up, following up, and taking care of business. Six Priority Mail boxes are on their way to you, plus the desert boots you asked for have been shipped to you, as well. (I can't believe we found a place to ship to an APO…that was so fortunate.) Box 7 is halfway full already. This week I finally feel like I'm done, we're here, this is the way it is, and I can plan things. I need that feeling…I hate being in limbo.
The weather has been so mild, I'm pretty much convinced that we're out of the woods for any serious snow this winter. We've actually had to feed the koi this week; their pond never froze over. The compost is ready to be turned and we bought more waste digester for the Doggie Doolie. I confess to being really grateful for this weather, even as the eastern seaboard gets hit hard. I was secretly horror-stricken at the thought that I'd have to be the one to climb on the roof to relieve some of the pressure from the weight of too much snow. That was my biggest fear regarding being on my own.
We're even starting our seeds in the greenhouse this week. (Tootsie over at TootsieTime has had hers started for two weeks…I feel like a slacker!) In addition to tons of flowers, we're going to do quite a few vegetables. Tomatoes will go in the ground and in 5-gallon buckets. Peppers will go exclusively in buckets so we can get a long enough growing season for them. Broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, cucumbers, onion, corn, zucchini, and pumpkins will all go in the ground. I'm so tempted to try watermelon and cantaloupe, too. I'm studying up on apple trees to see if we can't get a better yield this year and I'm looking into some berry bushes, too. (Strawberries, blueberries…who knows?) I'm eager to see if we can harvest some garlic this spring (fingers crossed). Anyway, in addition to our other garden spots, I was thinking these stepped boxes would be really cool in the circle. If Steve never comes back from Alaska, I'm sure I could get my Dad to help us build them. What do you think?
P.S. Superbowl Sunday? Of course – the kids and I celebrated by enjoying some Mexican food in our favorite restaurant.
