The snow is gone from the garden, though rain/snow is likely this week. If the rain turns to snow it won't stay long. I spent a lot of the weekend puttering about outside, admiring the garlic, strawberries and raspberries that came through the winter. Cleaned up around the beds and hoed some early sprouting weeds. Pruned the pear tree. I planted early vegetables in two small raised beds: favas, spinach, mache, kale, radishes, endive, lettuce, arugula, minutina and claytonia. I got another bed ready for peas. In the greenhouse I have many flats started of vegetables, herbs and flowers. At the garden center I bought two nice large plastic pots and a beautiful huge bowl-like terra cotta pot. I'll order a Meyer lemon for that pot. I bought a dwarf spruce topiary for one plastic pot and will shop for a bay laurel for the other. In order to complete my vegetable garden expansion and get a lawn area ready to plant I need to get someone with a tractor to come as soon as the ground is workable. I plan to put in a small low-water gramma grass lawn and xeriscape flower bed in the back yard. That area needs to be tilled and leveled. I want to double the size of the vegetable garden (all along the side yard) and fill the small front yard with raised beds for herbs and flowers, with gravel walkways between the beds. For that area I need to have the ground leveled into two terraces, as it slopes down towards the west. My soil is rocky, so I bring in topsoil and compost from the landfill green waste program for the beds themselves. I already feel pressed for time. If the tractor can't get in soon, or doesn't show up as happened several times last year, I won't have enough beds ready to plant all the starts I have in the greenhouse. I'm so glad spring is here, I hope is a long one. Ellen

Kitty, I am so sorry that you lost your little bunny. It is so hard to give up on them. This has been a very difficult summer for our animals. Horrendously hot and so very dry....we are way behind on rainfall. The hot spell was off and on (seemed mostly on) for July and most of August with 108 being the highest temp we reached. The past week has finally seen a bit of a turnaround. We have had three spates of rain with a total accumulation of about three inches. Things have turned green again. We lost four of my little grey Japanese bantams one day despite regular water changes and a box fan blowing on them. Then, the youngest of our three peacock chicks just faded away. The other two are doing great, though, and I just had to giggle when I saw one of them "courting" the other one. Wish I could have gotten a picture. He was draggging his wings, with his tiny little tail stuck straight into the air while he was slowly circling the other chick. He was just about a month old so they do learn early in life. On August 19th the last of our summer's guests left for home so we have been trying to readjust our lives a bit. The first arrived the second week of June and we did not have a dull moment for two whole months. Three sets from Florida and finally, my son & family from North Carolina. While they were here we did some house searching for them and his wife did some job interviews. They are planning to move here in November. We did find an old farm house for them to rent about six miles from us so they will have a place to land until they get their house built. Great fun. I fell late in July and fractured my right wrist. Am a bit osteoporotic and the break was not cleanly across the bones but caused some splitting. It has been the most painful break of my life. And, having a cast on my right arm (am right handed, of course) during this 100+ degree weather has truly been something I do not want to repeat. Even with the guineas working tirelessly we have had a bumper crop of teensy-tiny, little ticks this summer. Just out in the yard a half an hour today and got two on me. Looks like we will wait until after frost to finish cutting the winter's wood supply to avoid the ticks as much as possible. Am sending in reinforcements! We just turned twenty lavender and pearl guineas out of their pen for the first time today. Here's hoping they can find the little blood suckers! My young americaunas will be the next of our little group to be "freed". We got ten little pullets in May that look fully grown now. Funny looking girls, with those fuzzy faces. Jude, would give a bunch to be able to pick blackberries with you. Ours burnt up on the vines before they got a chance to ripen. Here's hoping for next year. Sure good to catch up with you all again. More later!

Calliope and Rob's comments about Bulgaria in my patio thread got me thinking I should talk about what I know of the country and the trip before I go, and this is probably the most appropriate thread in which to do so... We are going because we have a lot of Bulgarian friends, and we have a priceless opportunity to see a new place in the company of insiders. We will be staying with a good friend who is a naturalized American but still keeps her apartment in Sophia. Also traveling with us is another native who now has an American passport, his wife (who's from ND, so you know she's cool!), and their 18 year old son. We'll also be visiting my girlfriend's parents, whom we've met before and who live in an apartment in the same building, and the wife of my girlfriend's brother. The brother is also a good friend of ours. He has a green card, so can't be out of the US for more than 6 months... and the wife is waiting for her green card and can't come here until she gets it... oh, and she's about 8 months pregnant. My friends promise to introduce me to a wide circle of family and friends. Most don't speak English, but my friends will translate... plus I understand I'll be able to converse with some friends in French... and I do speak a bit of Russian, if they'll forgive me for communicating in the language of a former oppressor. If all else fails, I'm a dang good mime. I'm actually surprised at how much Bulgarian I'm able to understand, and I can read the alphabet. We're planning on spending some time cooking together, some time visiting historic sites, like Rila Monestary, and some time at the Black Sea. From what I am told, these are some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. I suggested we hit Greece, since we'll be so close, but I was met with disdain (and Bulgarian pride), after all, Greek beaches are horrible pebbly places, while Bulgarian beaches are beautiful and covered in sand. Bulgaria was dominated for centuries by the Ottomans, and there are lots of residual Turkish influences. Lots of Greek and Russian influences too. They are proud people, and while they have adopted many of the foods and customs of people who have dominated them over the years (they seem to be gifted at choosing the losing side in wars), they can be a bit touchy about the whole thing and are quick to point out All Things Bulgarian. For instance, Bulgarian doesn't use the Russian alphabet, Russia uses the Bulgarian (Cyrillic) alphabet. Bulgaria is part of the EU, but they haven't converted their currency yet. They produce most of the world's supply of rose oil, a component in nearly all perfumes. I was disappointed to learn the rose farms will not be in full bloom, because areas of the country feature valleys full of roses as far as the eye can see, and the scent is supposed to be heavenly. Oh, and nodding the head = "no" and shaking the head = "yes". Apparently this is the source of much confusion with outsiders. I have been told that this is because Bulgarians are largely comprised of three tribes of horsemen, and this body language emulates that of horses... (they nod when agitated) but I don't know whether or not that's an apocryphal explanation... We're leaving this week and will be gone for a while. I promise to take lots of pictures and post stories when I'm back and over my jet lag.

Tammy (ShelbyRayMom) Thank you so very much for the goodie box i received today. everything arrived in excellent condition, well rooted and labeled so i would know what was what. You sent me what you called aloe "babies" -- wow, more like teenagers. nice plants, there's enough of these guys to put them all in separate pots. I have one tiny one that i have been growing forever but it refuses to grow. now that it has company, maybe it will stand a chance! a christmas cactus and a blue agave. i have never had either of these succulents and look forward to having them as a part of my indoor garden. i'll keep them potted up and outside for the summer, but they will be indoor plants once the season ends. what a nice addition. an air plant -- i have some research to do on this. sounds quite interesting. tammy, you hope i like garlic? LMAO. we are garlic-aholics here. my son would put it on/in his cereal if i would let him. we use it like other people use salt and pepper. it's pretty much a "vegetable" here. lol the circle journal. wow, what an amazing thing. i have never seen anything like it. i am one of 5 sisters (2 brothers) and each of us is on a new journey at this point in our lives -- life,job, house, health, kid changes, etc. i am going to start this and pass it on to each sister and keep it going. what a great way to keep us connected. i love this idea and i love the fact that you sent it to me. i so appreciate it. Tammy, again thank you for everything you sent me. it is all so appreciated and i look forward to enjoying all the special things you chose for me. i especially want to thank you for your birthday wishes and your thoughts. i know you have had so much to deal with in the last few weeks and i should not have been a thought, but you did anyway, and i hold that dear to my heart. i'm off to "journal". with gratitude, earthly