sow 'n snow

 At last!

It's no more than an inch, but such a pleasure to see!

There's just something about snow.

The pastels of a January sky are so pretty above the white landscape.

I've been working in my new potting space, starting my big winter sowing project.  I'm about a third of the way done, I'd say.  It's enjoyable to have my hands in the dirt again, prepping my little containers...

...seeing all the different shapes and colors of seeds, those little pellets of potential.

This is A - G from my seed stash.

They need the freeze/thaw cycle to improve germination, so they don't mind this at all:

I've got good company while I work...

...and I love my view!

I try to put in an hour per day.  After all, in about 3 weeks I'll be starting some of the same seeds - and a lot of different ones! - under grow lights.  About the time I put those particular grow-light seedlings (hardy annuals) in the ground, it will be time to start the tender annuals under grow lights.  And then...oh boy...getting everything planted.  Planting will start around mid-March and continue through June.  Oh, and we also have to plow a new plot, lay out a drip tape irrigation system, lay down weed suppression/landscape fabric, and mulch...so while it seems odd to be starting in mid-January, there's not a minute to lose!  Thankfully it's all pleasurable work.  Going out to the barn last week, I passed by an unfamiliar green patch in the side garden.  At first I thought it was some sort of weed...

...but, studying it and thinking about what had been growing in that particular area last fall, I realized that it was German Chamomile.  I remembered the tiny white petals surrounding the cheerful yellow faces, the ferny foliage and the lovely light scent that was released whenever I brushed past, and experienced a moment of pure joy.

German Chamomile.  If all else fails, I will at least have the humble German Chamomile! What a delight to look forward to.  And then I think, what if some of the tulips and grape hyacinths that I fall-planted really do bloom?  Because my skills are so scattershot, I have almost no expectations when it comes to things that I plant.  When something does bloom, I am truly surprised and delighted.  So, as I see it, working on these containers is just another way of creating opportunities for joy.  All of my little failures, too, are disappointing, but I learn a little bit more with each disappointment.   I'm working toward something beautiful.  Maybe this will be the year that it all comes together!  If not, well, at least I've got that Chamomile.  :)  

Have a great week!

[winter s-]Oh, Yeah!

While cats stayed warm and cozy this past week...

...I got to work on a major project - winter sowing.  First, I drilled holes in the tops and bottoms of 57 one-pound plastic tubs of spinach.  Yes...57.

I mixed together potting soil, peat moss, and perlite in my wheelbarrow.  The latter two improve soil drainage, which keeps seeds from rotting.

I dampened the soil mixture and then started planting.  It took an afternoon to fill 26 of the plastic tubs with seeds, also adding a plastic marker for identification.  Then I set them on the ground next to the barn.  Todd later added some concrete blocks to keep them from blowing away.

These are tiny mini greenhouses.  They will get wet, and they'll freeze.  They'll warm up on sunny days.  Eventually, the temperature will rise enough to cause germination.  Once I start seeing green, I'll take off the lids and let them get some air.  As soon as the ground is warm enough to work, I'll start planting...probably in late March or early April.  I could get up to 300 flower seedlings from this group!  I ran out of soil before I could fill the rest of the containers, but most of the remaining flowers are so easy - cosmos, zinnias, marigolds, and sunflowers - that I don't need to bother with this method. I can plant the seeds right in the ground and they'll come up.

I got these done just in time...

...because a crazy snowstorm whipped up this week.

I took a quick video.  The flakes were falling thick and fast!

Just like the week before, though, the snow was completely melted in a few hours.  So strange.

Inspired by some of the quilts at my local quilt guild meeting...

...I spent quite a bit of time working on small sewing project this week, despite the fact that my shoulder and neck have been unusually sore.  I lightly quilted a baby quilt, using the Alice and Wonderland fabric I mentioned a week or so ago.

It's a simple half square triangle quilt.  I'm attaching a mustard-colored binding for a nice contrast, which I'll hopefully get done next week.  Bosewichte was a huge help, as usual.

I'll post a picture once it's done.  I also cut up fabric and made half square triangles for another quilt...

...that I'll probably do in an old-fashioned pinwheel style.

Annoyingly, I ran into a wall with my yellow log cabin quilt, but at least I learned a valuable lesson.  I ran out of the white fabric I'd been using to construct my blocks and needed to order more.  However, I wasn't quite sure which white I'd started with.  I always use Kona Cotton...so I ordered a yard of Kona Cotton White.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but White is a much brighter and cleaner color than what I need.

Must be Snow, I reasoned.  So I ordered several yards of it...and discovered that I was even further off.  Snow is more of an off white, like french vanilla ice cream. 

It's all right...I'm going to pair all of those yards of Kona Cotton Snow with this bundle lot I ordered recently.  Most beautiful pastel colors ever!  This quick iPhone photo doesn't do it justice.

This is the quilt that I'm going to make.  Isn't it gorgeous?

In other sewing news, I made a couple of tiny squares for practice.  Note to self:  tiny squares are awfully fiddly...

...but really are a great way to use up little fabric bits that are too endearing to throw away!  Saving every little 1" scrap...I think that's how every impressive hoarder begins, right?

Have a great week!

[geo] cache stash

For years, Todd has maintained that a typical Indiana winter is grey and overcast, without the benefit of evergreen forests (like those in the Pacific Northwest).  I've protested that Indiana winters are bright and cold, with brilliant blue skies over snow-covered meadows.

This year, at least, Todd is right.  We've had weeks of grey skies and dead grass, and although I still prefer this to the dreadful heat of summer, it's been a bit dreary.  Yesterday was sunny and warm, so we decided to go geocaching - with a little help from Borga and some more experienced geocaching friends.

Our deciduous forests are still bare, of course - it's only February...

...but we have a few evergreens around.

Someone made a fairy door in the forest!!

I've never been geocaching before.  Geocaches are camouflaged containers (hidden in stumps, rock piles, etc.) that have their location coordinates uploaded to a central website.  Using your cell phone, you can isolate the location to within 100 feet.  That's still a pretty large search area, and I certainly earned my extra toast last night, clambering over logs and scouring through leaves for treasure.   Geocaches contain trail logs, which you update, and sometimes little trinkets too.

You take a trinket and leave a trinket.  Then, update the website, letting people know that you found a cache and that it's still safely hidden and available for future discovery.  Todd displayed an uncanny ability, discovering 3 caches.  Note:  I found zero.

The weather was so warm and pleasant that it was hard to believe that just a few days before, we had snow. 

It was so strange.  It started snowing around 5 a.m. and snowed steadily until around 11.  By noon, due to a slight rise in temperature, the snow was completely melted.  But I enjoyed photographing it while it lasted!

I hope we get more snow soon!

I'm finally ready to start winter sowing my flower seeds.  Today I will be drilling holes in 55 one- pound plastic spinach tubs, filling them with soil, and planting the seeds.  I hope to plant nearly 450 seeds by the end of next week!  Hopefully the freeze-thaw cycle will make the seedlings so hardy that they can be popped in the ground by mid-March.  I can't wait to see what the front field looks like when the greenhouse gets installed and the rows of flowers start coming up!  I am even planting several annuals, like sunflowers.  Someone gave me several different varieties, including the Titan sunflower, which has flower heads that are TWO FEET wide!

I guess we'll have plenty of seeds for the birds next winter.  :)

Have a great week!