I expanded the garden beds in the fall. Trades are done and my seed list is all organized so I know what I've got. I've got some good seed starting mix at hand and plenty more scheduled for pick up in January. For now, the "work" is thinking about all of the goodies on my seed list and falling asleep each night thinking about my garden and how it might look next year. Then in January I'll sow the hardy perennials over the course of about 10 days. In February I watch for a day with a big snow coming in followed by a week of cold temps and when I get one of those I direct sow perennial and hardy annual seed out in the hills in goatland. Not quite sure on when to do my WS hardy annuals. I guess late Feb, early March and keep an eye on when Bakemom does hers. March/April, watch the garden beds and wheel hoe them up once the soil is thawed enough to work it. Relocate some perennials from last year. On April 15th I'll start watching the extended forecast and sow tenderish annuals whenever the 10 day forecast is starting to look like freeze risk is very low. No problem if I have to end up holding off until May 1 for the tenders if the forecast looks like serious cold or frosts in late April. If it looks like April will be warm and wet I'll start plunking and running with any perennials that look like they are ready to graduate to the garden bed. If it's cold and dry, that might wait until May. Early May, watch weather for incoming rains followed by 10 days of warmish temps and direct sow tenderish annual seed out in the hills of goatland. May to June - plunk and run like a crazy lady. Start pawning off over abundant plants on the mail carrier and on the neighbor up the hill. Consider selling plants to the strangers that pull into our driveway to ask if we are a garden center that sells plants. Hoe hoe hoe the gardens a bit each day to aerate the soil and let the intentionals grow while keeping weed levels down. June - check T&M site daily for their end of season half price sale. Hoe hoe hoeing continues. June to August - run around the garden with a watering can like a crazy lady. July on - run around the garden with seed collecting containers like a crazy lady. Try to eat, can or freeze produce as fast as we can harvest it. August - start planning end of season humongous trades with other WSers. September- start checking Value Seed website daily for the day when they go from 2 pages of seeds to 13 or 14 pages. Watch the oak tree and stop hoeing before the acorns start to fall. Let garden paths get packed down so I can maybe just sweep up acorns this year instead of picking up each by hand. October - clean thousands and thousands of acorns out of the garden. Make more acorn wine and some nutty acorn bread. Wait for the massive leaf fall to start. November - ugh. Leaves leaves leaves. December - hunting season. Confine goats and cow and toss edible annuals over the fence for them to snack on. Use spare time to huddle over seed list and get ready for January. Of course, I hope to also have a bit of time in there to sit on the porch and enjoy my gardens. Lynda

Time for a category change? How about anything that can be served as a main dish. Enchiladas Meat Loaf Imperial Crab Casserole Lamb Stew Yataklete Kilkil (Ethiopian Gingered Vegetable Stew) My name is still Pamela. Or people call me Pat by mistake so you can use Patricia if you want.

Don't post to this. Let's keep it over on Discussions side where more people venture. It might be nice to do something fun to counter all the unpleasantness of late. Sher

I've watched it...stumbled onto it by accident. I thought it was silly fun! OK...stupid antics, adults acting like children and I got caught up in the silliness. I need to "let go" and be a kid every now and then.....ya know!