Garden at rest, birds at dinner...despite the freezing temps that finally arrived, I'm still a busy gardener. I'm trying very hard to exercise self-control while planning spring plant orders, and it's barely working! As the pretty illustrations of fully-grown specimens lure me in, I steel myself with memories of the labor involved in planting, as well as the reality of the actual miniscule seedling I'll have to babysit for several seasons before I get what I want. As much as I try to have Blackswamp Girl's "survival of the fittest" outlook toward my gardens, you can see by the above bush jacket that I will coddle here and there. Sometimes I'll even find myself playing Dr. Frankenstein, attempting to resurrect the dead for my own pleasure and sense of mastery...mostly just wasting time on lost causes. So while my birdy friends go about the business of survival, I'm gonna try to plan this years's garden for the "fittest only need apply"-so my efforts yield maximum results overall. If something's failing, maybe I throw it in a pot for one last chance-if it dies, oh well....opportunity to try something new!

Oooh wow hey freaky Mmmmmushrooms!...wow......mmmm...yummy!..tripppyyy...oops! Not those kind of mushrooms! :) Got another harvest from my delicious oyster mushroom farm! The cold snap outside made it cold inside (My house is very poorly insulated), and voila'-mushrooms galore! These particular subject were enjoyed sauteed' for full mushroom flavor, rather than just added to a recipe....super yum!!

I'm back from the "Dark Side"...see, I hate numbers...and it seems they hate me, too. But I must face my fear, because I have a nice refund coming...so tasks that would take most people a day or two tops, will take me at least a week! But it's over with now, so back to gardening! Yay!

Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Fluffy, insulating snow, just in time to protect my "sleeping beauties" from sub-zero lows tonight. Heck, I may even get to go ice fishing Saturday...hooray for winter!

"Lack of snow is causing great concern for the future of our planet! The glaciers are melting! The earth is too hot! We will all perish if.....what?...It's snowing?...Oh....well that changes everything.....nevermind!"

Worm bin update...my son came to visit the other day, and asked if I would "sacrifice" some worms for his "Pac Man Frog", and I was meaning to check the bin anyway, so here goes. Inspection revealed tiny white specks all over the top surface (worm eggs, I hope-must research). I dug around and found some lively adult worms, along with a bunch of tiny babies-sweet! My son thought that my worms were too small to feed his frog though, so they were spared. But I felt that some "fattening up" would be good anyhow, so I sprinkled corn meal over the top of the bedding. (This is but one of several ingredients in a "worm fattening" recipe I've read about, and the only one I had on hand.) Then I decided to add some eggshells (previously washed and crushed)...this gives them needed calcium. Then came the bottom bin inspection to look for "worm tea" (um, pee) and check for drowning victims. No pics, but lo and behold-no drowned worms, and about 1'' of pretty brown "tea"! So I poured the liquid thru a coffee filter into a half gallon mason jar, and put it in the fridge (also something I read on a worm site somewhere, I want to re-research storage and "tea" usage some more)...very exciting that my bin seems to be reaching a sucessful "rhythm"...hope I can keep it going!

Whizzing Past...my life? Sometimes it can feel that way as I commute the hour plus back and forth to work each day, 2 1/2 hours daily. Sure, it's not really that long, and I enjoy my job very much. It's just that none of these activities are very physically demanding, and I'd much rather be outside and moving around more. And I realize that a good athletic session of some sort after work would help all of this...but I still feel like a hamster inside a habitrail...wonder what you do to combat that sensation...?

"Lamium will be lamium..." Kim over at www.blackswampgirl.blogspot.com mentioned how her lamium were thumbing their noses at this so-called winter, and growing-on with their bad selves, thank you! Well so are mine, as well as the lungwort north of the lamium, and this thyme 'Doone Valley' (which smells like lemons, by the way!) I'm trying hard to enjoy the mild winter, despite my strong sense of dread...not really sure why...(paranoia? ecologically bad chi? biorhythms? early onset dementia? Hard to say...) Anyhow, I may try spreading more manure and sowing some wildflower seeds...gotta get outside, y'know?