Hello, my little Chickadee!

What do you do when spring comes early? The cold crops got a good dose of 80+ degree weather in the past couple of weeks. The late starts got too much heat too early and are going to resent the cool snap starting tonight.

There is so much to do. The Pilgrim Cranberry bushes went into the ground last week as did several Brussel Sprout plants. Already the lettuce and arugula have taken off and my husband made the most of my travel time. He jiggered the spouts into the rain barrels, scavenged from the dandelion greens for a stir fry, and did a bit of this and that. Now it's time to locate more dirt for our raised beds.

I brought home six pullets just now, cute little drops of Easter chicks. They are peeping in fresh cedar up in my garden room, next to asparagus and broccoli starts. When they can hen peck back at the last two Rhode Island Reds from last year, we'll move them over to the chicken coop. Oh, how wonderful are these early days of spring, as E.B. White noted in Charlotte's Web.

Pictures will be posted soon of the three new species of chicks. The worm farm is outdoors now. I'll post pictures of our rain barrels, raised beds, cold frames, current bushes, and hopefully some scavenged raspberry starts. I bought the rooting hormone this afternoon and will return from my 10 miles in the morning with a quick trip to the nearest patch to cut some starts. In the meantime, here is how to convert some

Food grade barrels into recycled rainwater repositories

Tires to into Worm Farm

Happy Easter, Happy Spring, Blessed Pascha.

TICK on me!!!!!--Dianne

This is a tick, it is NOT your friend.

This is a tick burrowing into someone's skin.  Also, not your friend.

This is how big they actually are.

Wow!  took a shower, and was drying off, and felt something under my hand, looked in the mirror, and it was a brown thingie.  looked down, and it was a tick!!!  I may have to have Bill look me over like an orangutan before bed to see if I have any in my hair.   Be careful out there, people!

So, what's going on in the garden today?  LOTS and LOTS of seeds that survived our mild winter are now sprouting into young tree seedlings.  After some rain tomorrow night, I'm going to have to go out and start pulling them up, or I may have to rename my garden "The Haphazard Arboretum!"

Also, I talked about this last year, and it seems to be working for me.  I went out with a bag to the garden to pick all the dandelions I could find.  I don't like to spray if I don't have to, and this is a great way to get in all those squats I don't want to do for exercise class.  I don't have nearly as many as I had when we first moved here.  It takes a while to get down your numbers, but at least they aren't taking  over the garden.

My strawberries are blooming now, and should be fertilized tomorrow, before it rains. This is about 2 weeks early, just like everything else around here.  I hope you are all enjoying the beauty of the flowering trees through the fog of allergy eyes.  I nearly scratched mine out this evening. 

Maria said that one of her sisters was asking for recipes.  Today I ate some fabulous tabouli at a Mediterranean restaurant in Indy, Khouri's , over by Glendale Mall.  $7 lunch buffet.  yum. 

Tabouli---
couscous, cooked and cooled
finely chopped tomatoes
parsley , chopped
mint, chopped
olive oil
salt , pepper
chill when mixed

It is a light, refreshing salad.   I could see adding chopped cukes. Or, really, any crispy raw veg that you like.  The mint adds a zing that makes it perfect for a hot summer's day. It would be great as a side with a pita sandwich in place of chips.  Add some honey-drenched Middle-eastern dessert, and you are very happy. 
I also ate baba-ganoush, which is made with eggplant, something else I need to get into the garden this year.
I have tomatoes in pots,   brocs and cabbages in a newly turned garden.  It is a spot that I heavily composted and grew potatoes in last year, I can't believe the difference in the "friability" of the soil,  it practically runs through my fingers, as opposed to the clay from the foundation digging that was originally there.    Keep composting, it works!!

Seems like with a warmer winter, the garden jobs are just piling up.  Remember to keep the pain reliever handy, and drink water frequently.  Oh, and occasionally, a cold "liquid bread"  (beer) helps to make me not feel the aches and pains.  And maybe a Tom Selleck movie. 

Dianne, dirt and all