it was the best of times, is was the worst of times

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse once wrote, "And so, calm and golden, the days went by, each fraught with hope and youth and sweetness, linking to young hearts in silken feters forged by the Laughing Love-god." (This is in Girl on the Boat, which, I might add, is a great book and will lighten the doldrum of almost any spirit or day) Had Mr. Wodehouse lived in Washington, however, instead of England, he would probably have been sitting at his typewriter, looked out his window today and written something more like this, "And so, calm and golden, snowy and sunny, the days went by, each fraught with spring hopes - soon dashed upon the rocks of reality, tying the gardeners pent up souls into knots at the whims of the Laughing weather-god." Well something like that anyway.

At dawn today, there was a light layer of snow on the ground and a brisk winter feel in the air. At noon the sun was shining, God was in the heavens and all was well on the earth. It turned out to be the nicest day, well to me anyway, the nicest day in a long, long time. At least this month, or perhaps year. (no I am not bitter that spring has almost forgotten about us.) Will it last? I don't know and for now I am not going to let that evil thought darken this lovely day!

Here are a few pictures...

This is white heather, really really close up

On to more good news!

About 4-5 months ago, (mistakenly I thought, but that seems to be the way that I learn best) I started a winter harvest garden. I really started a spring harvest garden as most things you plant are for the next season except in summer. So this garden grew, and mind you it grew at the rate of an abnormally slow snail. Most of them looked like they were trying out for the willy wonka chocolate factory (you know, miniature). However, just when I started giving up hope, or maybe even a month or so after, it started warming up and they have now begun to commence to really starting to get somewhere!

Yes these are as delicious as they look. 

This is the first "all home grown, nothing but organic, all the good stuff and none of the bad" salad we've had. Yep, that's spinach, red leaf lettuce, and green leaf lettuce. Oh ya, and that really is a radish. Am I excited? To put it mildly, yes. This is the beginning of a new epoch, the golden days of "delicious, vitamin packed greens all in the back yard waiting to be picked" have begun. Out with the old, chlorine bleached, salt water washed lettuce and carrots. (well until I find a new way to kill my dainty little crop.) If everything works out it should last a month or so, until the next planting is starting to hit high gear and perform like the magazines all promise. Stay tuned and we'll all find out if this is one of Dostoevsky's tragedies of good things gone bad or one of those sappy westerns where everything works out and we ride off into the golden sunset with an extra radish in the saddle bag.