The Perfect Week

I've heard many a real gardener say that vegetable gardening really begins on St. Patrick's day. So here on St. Patrick's day eve, I'm here to give an update on all the spring happenings at our casa. It was 65 degrees today and it couldn't feel much more like spring. What a great week--a beer drinking holiday smack dab in the middle of a week bookended by daylight savings time and the first day of spring. This might just be the perfect week. To document this perfect week, I had to include numerous pictures.

First things first: the dogs got their first outside baths of the year today. I would just say first baths of the year, but that might gross some of you out, so we'll stick with first outside baths of the year. I've included pictures of the clean puppies only because most of you have probably never seen them this way (and probably won't ever again). Just imagine the vanilla scented dog shampoo wafting through the house and it'll be just like you're here!

Now for a tour of the garden . . . We've got lettuce and radishes in one of the cold frames and transplanted onions in the other. We've been opening them a lot and the last few days of sunshine have really got the lettuces and radishes going. I've tried to artfully not get the third raised bed in the picture, because that's my duty to finish and I haven't quite got around to that. (I will, Boyfriend, I promise!) I put the trellis up today and planted sugar snap peas this afternoon. Our garlic has really started to grow in the last couple weeks too.

Two weeks ago the Boyfriend built us an incredible compost bin, and I've included a picture of his handiwork. We are such legit hippies now. The Boyfriend says we're probably the weird couple in the neighborhood, which made me so proud I was smiling ear to ear. Mom and Dad have even donated some of their lawn waste to the compost pile, so it's truly a community compost bin. Here's hoping the worms feel equally involved and find their way to our trash heap soon!

Elsewhere around the yard everything is coming to life. The raspberry canes I planted last fall have actually made it through the winter. At first we could only see a couple green leaves at the base (which I was obviously ecstatic about), but now it seems as if little green leaves are appearing everywhere. I also included a picture of my much-loved hydrangea and its slow but persistent march towards spring. Even last year's fall-planted pansies have turned from brown to green and some have little yellow buds that look ripe for opening by the first day of spring.

While lots is happening outside, we might have even more going on inside. As luck would have it, our house has only three south-facing windows. One is in my office but the overhang over our entryway (is that called a portico?) means it gets shaded quite early in the afternoon. Another is in the bonus room, but the dogs called dibs on that one for their lookout spot. They "look" with their paws, which makes putting tender plant starts there a bad idea. The remaining winner-by-default window is in the Boyfriend's office and he has generously donated his windowsill--and increasingly his futon--for the sake of our veggies. In the picture you can see lots of little pepper plants and I've also got tomato seeds and basil seeds (hopefully) sprouting soon.

There you have it. It's almost like you're here, no? Now we must get on to the St. Patrick's day eve festivities. The Boyfriend says you can't turn every holiday into a two-day holiday by celebrating the "eve" of everything, but I say the world could use a little more celebrating and I could definitely use a beer!