#approaching spring

It had rained heavily all night in the wild west Highlands of Scotland, and when Algy woke up in the morning the world was obscured by dense, grey Scotch mist again, and there were new pools of standing water everywhere.

But as the day advanced the air began to clear, and the water simply vanished – with remarkable speed – in the mysterious manner peculiar to this land where the higher ground is surrounded by deep peat bogs and drained by multiple burns that flow swiflty into the adjacent sea.

And by the time that Algy was ready to settle down with a good book of verse for some light Sunday afternoon reading, the wind had swung right round from the chilly north to the milder south, and a little watery sunshine was breaking through the clouds, albeit reluctantly.

So Algy returned to the old garden bench, tucked himself tightly into one corner, and opened his heavy volume at a random page, where by chance he read:

O THOU with dewy locks, who lookest down Through the clear windows of the morning, turn Thine angel eyes upon our western isle, Which in full choir hails thy approach, O Spring! The hills tell one another, and the listening Valleys hear; all our longing eyes are turn'd Up to thy bright pavilions: issue forth And let thy holy feet visit our clime! Come o'er the eastern hills, and let our winds Kiss thy perfumed garments; let us taste Thy morn and evening breath; scatter thy pearls Upon our lovesick land that mourns for thee. O deck her forth with thy fair fingers; pour Thy soft kisses on her bosom; and put Thy golden crown upon her languish'd head, Whose modest tresses are bound up for thee.

Yesterday I planted carrot seeds that Jen gave me. They are to be purple skinned and red core. I pulled lanky and bolted radishes so I could lay them gently under the protective leaves of the swiss chard. I then layed a light blanket of pear leaves over the top. I'm not sure this was a good choice: days of rain predicted; favored duff material of the little rototiller birds; damn neighbor's cat who have the whole wide world to shite in but are determined to use my grow boxes. I think every day/ everyother day I will send 5 minutes between rain storms either to plant a small row of things that won't drown/rot or some garden chore. I can't get in too much trouble in 5 minutes ...

The spearmint is freshly growing and ready for first harvest as is the horehound. I'm not sure the lemon balm survived this much wet. Fruit trees are still in need of pruning but too much rain. People don't want to hang out in a storm and trim trees especially up on an orchard ladder than is sinking precariously in the sog. The hens have had enough -- they hate the wind; they hate the rain; they hate being in their aviary; they hate their freeze dried mealworms; they hate the singing little birds with their lusty antics ... just grumpy old hens. They need some tea (yes, people make tea for their chickens ... google it). Personally, my biddy birdies would still complain because they just be that way.

Frugal tip is about buying bulk. Even people that are single can buy bulk and benefit from the savings. Go in with family and friends if you don't want the whole lot, then divie it up or get mason jars and use for storage to build your pantry. Dry Good Things like beans, rice and some grains have a long shelf life. If you go to grocer warehouse during their seasonal sales, you can manage some good buys (look at harvest dates/years on bags). Make sure you transfer info onto your storage containers. If you are using recycled/reused containers, make sure they are tight against moisture (a little insert of wax paper around the container's 'mouth'/opening may help fill the gap). Here's a link to grain storage that may be helpful https://commongrains.com/how-long-can-you-store-whole-grains-or-flours-a-reference-chart/