Mail Time!

My first seed order finally came in today! I’ve been waiting six, long, cold, agonizing days. I was beginning to fear that I’d have to start garden season with out them.

---

---

---

---

I’ve never grown cauliflower before. But this one is Amazing. Check out the description. I have to try it.

---

---

---

---

---

---

For the past couple of years I’ve only been growing Lemon cucumbers. This year I’m trying out Natsu Fushinari cucs. Because I save seed, I can’t grow both. They’re supposed to be resistant to powdery mildew, which I don’t really have a problem with. And they’re heat tolerant. We don’t live in the south, but it gets hotter than hell in the summer time. Plants with heat tolerance cut my work down, and are more productive in my neck of the woods.

---

---

---

---

Brad’s Atomic Grape tomatoes. Whaaaaaa? Look at those things! Beautiful! Tomatoes are the royalty of my garden. I grew 12 varieties last year. I totally would have grown more, but I ran out of room. I’m still considering digging out the driveway and adding more garden space there. Adam says, “Absolutely not.” We don’t even park in the garage.

---

---

---

---

They’re Alive!

Unfortunately, I was so excited to see them, that I forgot to get a picture. But the bees are alive. We always have them protected from the north and west winds, but during the last cold snap, a bitter, hard wind came in from the east that dropped our wind chill to -10 and -15 a couple nights. The temperatures didn’t worry me, but that cold wind blowing right into the entrance on my hives made me nervous. As soon as we realized the wind had shifted and was coming from the east we ran out there and got them some protection from it, but we had no idea how many hours it had been blowing into the hive. And it was just too cold to risk opening it up. So I’ve been waiting for a warmish day to check on them. Today, right about the time it hit 55*, my back yard was humming with happy, active bees, stretching their wings and getting some fresh air! I. WAS. SO. HAPPY! Tomorrow I’ll open it to see if they’re doing okay on food, and then I’ll leave them alone til spring.

I Haven’t Been Posting, and I Blame It on You

So, all this springtime activity I’m seeing everywhere is making me crazy. I’ve been starting a lot of seeds, but that’s just part of my winter. But all the talk about garden planning and spring time is making winter so hard to bare! Then I’ve got what may as well be a live feed to summer coming in from Australia!! Good grief, it’s a wonder I haven’t gone mad!

So I got to thinking. What’s something super ‘spring time’ that I can do? Spring cleaning! I normally do my spring cleaning in the fall, so the house is super organized and tidy and clean for the holidays. And I love starting the new year with a totally clean house. But this year, I’ve had a lot going on. A lot. So, I just didn’t really think too much about it, but I didn’t have time anyway. My house is pretty clean, so it wouldn’t have hurt to let it ride til next fall. But I need some spring in my life, so I did my spring cleaning this past week.

My Gram says that once a job is first begun, never leave it til it’s done. I live by that philosophy, so I cleaned til I was done, which didn’t leave a lot of posting time.

Now for the tiny giveaway...

Every fall, when I rob my hives, I also take the wax from about half of my frames to make lotion bars. I don’t have any pictures of the process this time, but when I make another batch in the fall I’ll make a post.

In this batch I used beeswax with a little grape seed oil and some coconut oil. This stuff really saves my hands! I use it after gardening or handling anything harsh. It’s also magic on the heels!

---

---

---

---

I make a pretty big batch and pour it into small containers with lids, so I have individual bars that I can throw in my car or in my backpack. It also makes them easy to share. And I’d love to share one with you! If you’d like to be entered into the drawing, let me know in the comments and I’ll throw your name in the hat. When the post pays out, I’ll enter the names of those interested into randomize.com, post the winner, and send it out to ya!

Have an excellent day!