Purple Russian, Pineapple, and Brandywine...

Hmm . . . it sounds like the good start for a creative writing assignment. After a day of skiing at Brandywine, battered and bruised - to the point of appearing purple, the Russian went home and ate some fresh pineapple.

Well sorry to disappoint you, it is not a creative writing assignment but rather a list of the tomatoes taking up residence in my living room window. The pineapple tomatoes are coming up nicely and the brandywines are just poking through.

The purple russians need a few more days... I just planted them on Wednesday, the others I planted last Wednesday, so we will give them a week to break through the soil.

I also planted some spinach and romaine in a pot on my porch surrounded by some beets and radishes, we will have to wait and see how they do.

The view out my window this morning doesn't put one much in the gardening mood, but it will so on melt away again.

I Spy Something Green...

This morning while I was watering my plants I was amazed to see some of my starts sprouting.

I just planted those seeds on Wednesday and they are already shooting up. Now to the job of keeping them healthy for the next 6-8 weeks. I planted tomato seeds - pineapple and brandywine and also some Giants of California Zinnias. It is the zinnias that are poking their heads through the soil already. The tomatoes need a few more days. I eagerly awaiting the Purple Russian tomato seeds mom and I ordered so we can get those started also.

James, Mom and I enjoyed a hike on Thursday with the wonderful weather we have been having.

Getting My Hands Dirty

Someone told me this week that it is said one should plant peas on St. Patrick's Day. If I had ever heard that before, I didn't log it in my brain - or at least not at the right place and is irretrievable. Truthfully, I am not very good about planting peas, I have before, but generally not early enough to get a good crop since they like cool weather and my garden is rarely prepped early enough to make a very good effort at the cool weather plants. This year is no different, but since I had this little tidbit of information (and who knows if I will recall it next year) I decided I wanted to try to plant seeds today. I know even though it may be quipped to plant peas on St. Patrick's Day, that peas planted tomorrow or next week will still come up, but as some will attest, when I get something in my mind I would like to try I can't seem to get it out.

Since my garden is not yet ready, I had to be creative. I decided to try growing snap peas in my large porch pot with a tomato cage in it to grow up. So tonight when I got home, after dark, I turned on my porch light and got my hands dirty.

A few signs of spring are appearing without any assistance from me. Here is my hyperturfa pot that has been sitting on my porch all winter.

Springtime Sorrows...

Springtime brings me thoughts of happiness and the sun seems to give me energy. I dream of little green plants growing and summertime harvests. I peruse the gardening sections at hardware stores and am tempted by any greenhouses I happen upon. This time of year brings us hope of warm weather, flowers begin to bloom, and we seem to be rejuvenated. Why then do I speak of sorrow? The seed has to die for the shoot to break forth from the ground. Death is a natural part of life, but that does not take away the sense of loss and grief that we experience. I mourn the loss of my friend Kimsin today... I have no words for this and I don't know what shoots and sprouts will come forth from this and may never understand, but I know that Kimsin taught me to recognize the power of prayer. I don't know why God didn't answer the many prayers of family and friends on Kimsin's behalf, but I know that God is almighty and he can do "immeasurably more than we ask or imagine" and that He loved Kimsin, so I pray that he will water and tend to those shoots that would come from Kimsin's life and bring glory to God.

Accidental Successes

What is an accidental success? Well, if your first thought is that it is when something happens without any work, banish that from your mind quickly...that is not what I mean. By accident, I am implying that I have no formal training and what successes I do happen upon I do not attribute to great wisdom on my part but rather to playing in the dirt at random intervals and a lot of God's natural intervention . . . which in this case results in growing plants.