I spent most of yesterday doing homework. I took a break to go out on the snowmobile to look at tracks my husband found in the woods. We have a bobcat. When homework was done I spent a couple of hours on my job as an editor.

I planted my eggplant seeds and put them on the heat mat.

Cracked open some windows when it got warm (42) to let in some fresh air, listened to the snow melt and the birds sing. Saw a robin.

Looked outside a lot trying to figure how many feet of snow we have and how long it will take to melt.

I'm such a snoop, it's fun to see what everybody is doing! I slept in and got dressed late. Spent what was left of the morning working on a batch of dolls. A draft stopper order came in and some more were sold on Ebay - I guess it's still cold in a lot of places. After lunch I went snowshoeing for an hour. I was also practicing speeches for an Eastern Star event coming up. I snowshoe in the cemetery so nobody can hear me doing it - I hope!

I have to get unpacked from a 3 week trip visiting the desert in Arizona, now DH wants to go on a raod trip to sell some furniture piled on the back of a trailer across country to try and make it to my dad's house in Missouri for Easter. Also to earn enough money selling to garden centers and such to pay that trip to Arizona.

Sp I am washing clothes, washing dishes, prepared pancakes and lunch to the kids, throwing out food in the regrigerator to the compost neccessary and trying to remember everything that needs to be in order so I can leave town.

When I get back I will be stressed to start seeds, my husband the landscaper will start his 16 hour days.

I am packing a lap top and all the seeds I am sowing are going on the road so I can organize and plan where I am going to plant everything....yes I know I am late in the planning, but after so many years I feel it wont be as much work as the first year...it will probably be a thousand times worse!!!

When I get back...I hope to see what you all have been doing...

The bobcat footprints is an awesome find...I wouldnt know how to identify it form say a wolf or fox or a cougar?!

Last Spring I saw a black bear watching me in the woods. I was sitting next to a tree and I thought it was my dog at first, turned out not to be my black lab...I was about 30 feet away from this what looked like a 200 lb black bear. I havent seen him since...not that I want to, but I do wonder where they are and how they are doing in Maine.

good news...all the furniture is gone and we are headed home. Stopping at Niagrara Falls on theway. I miss home and I especially miss my own cooking and just being at home.

The Farm Bureau Corner Meetingin Calais posted by Robin looks like fun and interesting.

I hate eating in hotels especially the morning complimentry breakfasts. This morning I had a little boy cut ahead of me in the waffle making long line after I was only able to make one of 3 waffles I wanted to make. When I tried to get back inline I was pushed to the back of the line. lol

there is a base ball tourmament in the area and about 50 young boys are stayig here tooin the same hotel...whichmeans I take the elevator, the pool is taken over and the hall ways are full of running and giggling kids. The parents are all inthe lobby and breakfast area smoking and drinking beer. Quite the lively place here, Iwish I was home.

didnt stop at niagra falls due to the storm in new england area. Instead we passed by the penn and new york border to see massive floodings on side streets and streams handling snow and rain run off. Some homes were underwater a few feet, cars not moved had waterup to thier roof tops.
The interstate was slowed down to 5 mph due to those just watching all the unusal floodings on the side roads. One gas station was a few feet underwater....scarey to think what damage that might impose on those around thearea.

Our 6yo son drew pictures of the floodings. He was very moved by the disasster of the floodings.

Once at the hotel for the night (Mass) I plugged in the lap top to come visit GardenWeb. I went to SOE forums and the news there was a bit disturbing and enlightening as usual, so I went to soil and compost to start thinking about Spring more.

I read all day a book more recently written by Eliot Coleman. I would like to visit his four season farm soon, has anyone else ever been there?

I am very interested in the rotating greenhouses to grow year round.

Yesterday I planted spinach, lettuce, sweet peas and chard in the growing bed in the hoophouse. Started my seedlings of flowers and put them outside as per the WS forum. Sowed toms and more tender flowers to put under lights inside. No sun here for three days.
I've been to Eliot's farm and his personal garden on a tour 3(?) years ago. It was an absolute downpour, but well worth it! Go if you ever get the chance! Another must do is the Abby Rockerfeller Garden in Bar Harbor. Open only to special tours, but get your garden club to organize one. That's what we did.
Martha

I havent paid my dues for this year yet....would you like to see the reminder letter they send you...errr me or anyone absolutely anyone who wants to join. I did call the four season farm, a woman named Barbara answered ( She didnt offer her name nor speak in any manner about herself! So I guess! I asked her if she was Barbara and she said she was too busy writing an article for the Washington Post. But she did brag about her husband being so busy that if he was around if I happened to come vist unannounced ( they prefer not to take reservations, instead please drop By - best not Monday or a Thursday. SHe was quick to put a plug in for the Natural Living Center and she started talking about the Nerrings in a very kind and so respectful...but did agree that their methods were very diferent as the Nerrings were more composty more exclusively with vegetables. While "Eliot" ( dont know why I envision Eliot to be a silly looking dragon and barbara like some brainiac) None the less I am going to drop in on them perhaps this next week and perhaps I'll get lucky and get some autographs- I mena photographs of their rotating greeenhouse. SHe did offer to say that the chicken hoop house that moves around the yard is down- they no longer have any animals! I
l'll tell her to get all organic animals or she may pierce the cloth of organic gardening.lol Any ways she said they plan on getting animals to aid in fertilizer for the gardens. I want to work on the rotating garden shared with the goats and the geese and chickens all together if possible and change their residence each year in order to get a healthier top soil.

I joined the mandala farm today. I aked for a 250.00 share.
This would provide enough food for one year for 2 families.
I am too insecure that the garlic I grew is what I hope the season will bring. I am hoping to take it to a farmers market or knock on doors to peddle the 3 varieties I massively planted this year. As I see it the garden area is on the crest of a hill....however the hill becomes like a mesa of wetlands...drainage is poor in Spring, unfortuantely as we all know the rain fall may be drowning my bulbs for a extented length in time since the ground is starting to thaw. Then in a more positive note I know that the garlic may be safe because we had great snow coverage this year...the only problem being too much snow doesnt allow enough photosynethesis or light signal to make a go....I am thinking that that must tell the bubl a message when it cant get any warmth or energy from the sun directly. So, if the bulb was properly fed prior to being pulled for cloves (planting) then there may not be the hardiness in them to survive when energy is very demanding.

I hate traveling (I decided). I wish there was a safer and more healthier way to travel than with cars to get to Arizona...any suggestions? How about from Ellsworth to Bar Harbor? I like the thought of a horse drawn cart or wagon. And although I paid taxes that are used to build fine roadways, I am only privilged on them if I can afford to operate a car or be transported by a vehicle allowable by law. Otherwise I have to stay on private property.

Help me map a 2 horse or 4 horse wagon drive to Arizona. I also will be taking the chickens and the goats...not sure about the geese. ( I am half heartiedly kidding- but would pursue hypotheticly/curiousity) In bad weather I would need shelter for my animals. What camp grounds would allow me to tent me and my animals and family for the night or to get through poor weather? Awww--- just go along with it and dream with me for a cotton pickin' moment. Would I make it and how much money would it hypotheticly cost. (I had a brilliant idea to apply for a Fulbright or a Watson, and see what they might encourage, but I would have to go back to school. Meanwhile I got to get back to Maine to crack the whip and besure that my gardeners are doing the sowing. At the many garden centers I went to I noticed nobody was carrying the Echinacea double decker. Only one greenhouse actually offered to mail it to me if she found it! Wow, it was a brand new garden center (ornamentals and landscaping) called Pardee ( thats thier real name- the family that owns it!) The women at the sales office was very friendly and I told her to get on the organic forum- yuck lots of roundup there....but the greenhouses and potential and the people there are like really truely caring horts! O especially enjoyed talking to the woman who is married to a man who is the "last of his kind" LIke species like! I told her that he must not be and she assured me he was. She also said she was way past 40 and wasnt thinking nor could have any more children. She would like to change her name back to "Farmer" (n because she really loves that name)but is afraid she will hurt her husbands feelings. I thought that perhaps he could take her name instead, I think at that point she directed me where to find the echinacea I might be looking for- and I didnt but the place is brand spanking new and the people are extremely happy to be there and to help! Very refreshing.

So Iam home and there is alot of organizing and cleaning to do- darn it, winter is over, its time to work!

How is everyone else doing with Spring Cleaning.
(Spike- might we get a conversation forum- I feel displaced)

OH yeah, I dont know Barbara at all. I just called information from the book called the New Organic Farmer by Eliot COleman. I knew that his name continually comes up on many different forums and his wife Barbara. I know that he lives within one hour or so from where I do, so I would like to better compare notes and ask a true gardener of organic methods how I can manipulate and convience a bunch of mainstream gardeners and caretakers/landscapers how to go organic and understand it.

I told Barabara when I decided it was her, (and guessed that it was actually her) and not an employee "that I felt very honored" I also said that she was spoken on on the organic forums and such, she was surprised that I told her I spend about 1 hour a day at gardenweb visiting and researching ideas and updates. She may be lurking now as she seemed surprised that Garden web could be as progressed as when she was last visiting here....so Hi Barbara, if you are out there!

The cart must also be able to hook up to bicycles and or goats for exercise and to assist the horses and be able to carry them too. I

Also , I do intend to pay my dues to the garden Club in Bar Harbor. They always have some really great speakers...sounds similar to the garden club that veilchen attends or has spoken of.

Hope everyones day was a good day.
Cheers

Does anyone else attend any of thier local garden club ? :)

I may be all talked out now....so what to sow and clean and organize first?

I got tulip bulbs trying to bloom through a few boxes in my porch, and there is still too much snow and too wet to plant. I'll try ot pot them in containers instead and see how they recover....long and leggy ....adios for now

Today I am going to start pulling the mulch off some of my beds where I want to sow greens, carrots, peas, etc. My trays of onion/leek seedlings are going out in the g.h. They're going to have to tough it out if it gets too cold at night in there. I need the room under the lights for my eggplant and pepper seedlings, and soon-to-be tomato seedlings.

Two nice sunny days in a row should melt the remaining snow off my yard. The rain finished off the snow that was on the gardens. Still too wet to work in the front garden, hope the J. and S. irises are ok.

The lettuce seeds I planted in the gh aren't growing too fast. Maybe too hot during the day, too cold at night? The poppies have sprouted out there. I still need to work out this greenhouse concept.

Maybe my compost pile is thawed enough to turn it. Will probably hit block of frozen kitchen scraps in the middle.

Lily, I would also like to visit the Colemans at their farm. Have been interested in their concepts but find all that work with hoop tunnels, gh within gh, etc. too much effort just to supply our family of 3 with fresh greens to eat in winter. Did you read 'Four Season Harvest'? I do know, this first winter (and a mild one at that, if you don't count the tremendous snowfalls), my unheated polycarbonate gh was unable to sustain lettuce greens past mid-Dec. The spinach did overwinter, but has not grown enough to harvest yet. I have mache greens that overwintered outside under the snow, I'm going to pick some for a salad today.

I just found a bag of carrots in the cellar I had harvested in late Dec. or early Jan. that I had forgotten about. Will roast them tonight. Also still have some Ailsa Craig and Red Wing onions in the cellar, along with a ton of shallots.

Time to get to work.