Saturday, April 21, 2007, 21:11
Officially Spring
I know now absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt that it must be spring.
I have started buying seeds for the garden.
When I walked into the grocery store Friday evening and saw the display of garden seeds, I couldn't help myself.
One thing that caught my eye were the Scarlet O'Hara morning glories. They are red, of course, and I am thinking they will be spectacular climbing up the bird feeder poles.
And then there were the red bell peppers. I grew some red bell peppers for the first time last year from plants that I had bought. I couldn't believe how sweet and juicy they were. What a wonderful addition to my salads!
And speaking of salad, I bought a couple of different packages of lettuce seed. I'm going to try growing some in my little garden down by the basement and some in a tub out back. I love having homegrown lettuce. I can run out and cut a bowlful whenever I want. One of my kitty cats, Duke, thinks homegrown lettuce is wonderful, too. When he knows I am going out to cut lettuce, he is waiting for me when I get back inside so he can eat some of the greens.
And then there are the seedless watermelon. I usually grow Sugar Babies, but this year I decided to give these a try. They are supposed to be "ice box" size -- meaning, I think, that they will fit nicely into the refrigerator.
I also bought cantaloupe seeds. And seeds for acorn squash.
Today when Randy and I were in town, we went back to the grocery store. We picked up some pumpkin seeds, too. Randy likes to grow pumpkins, so we got the Atlantic Giants (he wants to see if he can grow a pumpkin that's more than a couple of hundred pounds). We also got seeds for "field pumpkins" and "Cinderella pumpkins" and those little tiny pumpkins that the package says are very good stuffed like peppers.
When we went to the Farmers Union, I couldn't resist buying onion sets as well. We ended up without any onions last year. By the time I was ready to buy them, no one had any left. True, I'm still working on expanding my shallot beds, but I like to grow onions, too. Shallots are selling for $7 a pound in the stores around here. I'm still having trouble processing that: $7 a pound. It seems so out of proportion for something that is so easy to grow.
I held off on buying any Roma tomato seeds. I am going to wait and see what comes up from volunteers from last year. Most of my tomato garden was volunteers last year, and the seeds I started in peat pots hardly mattered, there were so many volunteers. . .
Oh yes, spring is here if I am buying garden seeds. I am hoping we will get enough rain this year to make the garden grow well.
But first things first. Because first -- I have to plant the seeds.
LeAnn R. Ralph
Wednesday, April 18, 2007, 18:01
Charlie's Fuzzy Feet
You should have seen our Springer Spaniel, Charlie, yesterday.
Randy started clipping Charlie the night before. Over the years, my husband has learned that it is easier on everyone concerned if he gives Charlie his spring haircut in stages. That way, Charlie doesn't get frustrated, Randy doesn't get frustrated, and I don't get caught in the middle.
One year it took Randy five evenings of clipping to finally get Charlie's winter hair shaved away.
This year it only two evenings.
When I came home from a city council meeting Monday night, I could see that Randy had almost gotten Charlie all clipped.
Except for two places.
His feet.
Charlie had just the cutest, fuzziest feet all day Tuesday. Every time I looked at him, I couldn't help but smile. He looked like he was wearing fluffy winter boots.
When Randy clips Charlie, I am always amazed at how much hair a Springer Spaniel will grow over the winter. I'm sorry I was not able to take a picture of the pile of hair in the yard. Randy rakes up the hair and tosses it in the woods. Sometimes in the summer, I will see birds nests that have Charlie's hair in them!
Of course, it seems like every year after Randy clips Charlie, then we get a spell of very cold weather. For now, the past few days have been warm and sunny with temperatures around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If the weather does turn cold, I will have to put Charlie inside his kennel during the day. Otherwise he shivers and acts miserable without his winter hair when the weather is cold and windy.
Besides Charlie's haircut, I am also seeing other signs of spring. Tuesday morning I surprised a tom turkey in the long grass in the neighbor's field. I was taking the dogs for a walk around the hayfield when the tom turkey ran out of his hiding place. He didn't try to fly, though. He just hot-footed it through the long grass toward the other neighbor's pine trees. We have been hearing the toms gobbling for a while now, mostly in the morning.
And speaking of grass, the grass is starting to turn green. It's not growing much yet. But it's turning green. Kajun and Isabelle have been nosing around their pastures, waiting for the grass to grow. Monday I turned Isabelle out in the extra "L" pasture. Tuesday it was Kajun's turn. I have to be careful how often I turn Kajun out. If he gets even a little bit too much green grass, his feet start to bother him. It's an old problem from having foundered years ago.
I combed the horses a little bit the other day, too. Talk about a hairy experience! They are shedding by the handfuls, so I suppose I ought to curry them again. If only the wind wouldn't blow, then I wouldn't be standing in the middle of a cloud of loose hair.
Now, if only I had time to get at cleaning up the rest of the manure in the horse pastures and putting it on the garden. . .
LeAnn R. Ralph
