Good Morning!

Feels like spring is in full swing now!  My spinach, lettuce, and beets are poking their head up and low and behold I have a couple of Asparagus spears as well!  Slowly but surly I am reclaiming the back yard after the winters neglect.  Well I can't really blame the winter for the neglect.  It is more our neglect during the winter.

One thing I noticed in cleaning up the garden so far.  My cilantro weathered the winter fine.  I was really surprised.  For years now I have tried to grow cilantro from seed.  I had success as far as getting the plants to grow, but they soon went to seed and I still had to buy cilantro if I was going to make salsa.  Same thing happened last year and in frustration I just pulled off the seeds and threw them on the ground in a raised bed.  Well they took root and grew.  It was fall then and I thought I would just leave them be and the frost would take care of them.  Granted we didn't have an extremely cold winter, but we had some seriously cold days here and there.  Frost was plentiful as were some hard freezes, but they survived thru it.  They hunkered down, and rather than grow up, they sent roots down.  I now have three compact plants which are lush and green and relishing the warmer weather.  I'm hopeful now this means I will have plenty of cilantro to make my salsa this year.  SEE?

 In addition, I had one parsley plant I left standing and it did the same thing.  Not surprising since parsley and cilantro are of the same family.  It looks like everything survived the winter except my lemon Thyme plant which got eaten by some hungry deer or rabbit.

Other adventures in yard work have included the gratuitous use of spray paint.  Spray paint and I have become good friends.  While cleaning out our storage shed,and removing our patio umbrella frame from it to boot, I discovered said umbrella frame was looking sad even though stored out of the elements.  I set about taking the entire umbrella frame apart and began the process of sanding and spray painting each piece.  Feeling pretty proud of myself; that is until I went to put it back together.  Yea.....probably should have taken better care to remember what went where.  But, though it took longer and was a little frustrating ( plenty of "Really!", "Seriously!", and "OH Come On!"), I did finally get it back together.  I am also spray painting some window boxes that have seen better days.  I have planted marigolds in them and have them on the deck.  We will see if the marigolds come up.  In addition I spray painted the base of our patio table.  Give me time and I will find something else to color!

Little by little I will get the patio reclaimed and we can once again enjoy time out on the deck  By that time I am hopeful all my little plants will be big and lush and we can enjoy everything in bloom.

So how are things in your neck of the woods?  Spring fever hit you yet?