From Where I Am

I've started this post over several times, not sure how to get going. I've been very busy with things but not a lot going on with the house. It has been raining here fairly often so that has put a damper on several exterior projects that I want to work on. So, I thought I'd just post about a few miscellaneous things. I finally finished my raised strawberry bed that I started back in the fall. It is about 3' by 16' and about 1' deep. These are mostly two year old plants with a few of their babies thrown in, so I hope to have a fair crop this summer. I believe these are ever-bearing strawberries. I used all topsoil from my valley and added an organic fertilizer formulated for strawberries that I purchased from Gardens Alive. I have details showing how I built the raised bed if anyone is interested. I may post that anyway! even if you're not interested. Ha! My brussel sprouts continue to produce a small crop. They are great! I'm not sure how long the plants will last but I'm just going to keep tending them until they seem to play out. I cooked some of the sprouts for the Man From 12 Years and he seemed to enjoy them or said he did anyway. He scarfed them all down. I showed him the blog this weekend and told him what I write about. I wanted him to know he had been mentioned and make sure it was OK. He seemed to enjoy it and said it was fine but is a little hesitant to have his photo put up. He is still as handsome as he was back years ago but has become self-conscious over his hair and beard. See, they have both gone completely white and he thinks it makes us look very far apart in our ages. Now, he is a little older than me (but still younger than Allen) and most people associate white hair with much older people. I don't care myself. He had completely gray hair way back in his 30's and I've never known him with dark hair. I think he is beautiful, even if his hair were purple. I said I wanted a photo of him on his motorcycle and he seemed to like that idea so when it warms up a little more to start riding I'll get some pics.

The garlic is way up. I need to plant a lot more as I use quiet a bit in cooking. I roasted a head, that I had stored, the other night to use in some mashed potatoes and they were so good. That adds such flavor to potatoes. This is an old, unknown variety that a friend gave me last year. Most of my herbs are starting to spring up with new growth also. The lavender cuttings are still doing well. I need to fertilize my fruit trees before it gets much further into spring.

I have a chest cold this weekend and feel fairly crappy today so I've just been kinda taking it easy. The sun has finally come out today and it is very nice. Grendal and Lika are napping together on the deck. They may start to get along better after all.
Hope you all are having a great weekend and things are warming up where you are. Except for those of you in Aussie, where I guess things may be cooling down a little for you! But maybe that's welcome after the heat that you all have endured.

*Enya