And it's going to bring a tiny, little, Mona Lisa smile to your lips at the exact right time.
Normally only seen from late spring until the first frost, I thought today was the PERFECT day to remind you of flowers.
As of today you're closer to spring than winter. And closer to seeing actual blooming, bee buzzing, multicoloured, glorious flowers.
You're also closer to seeing all the dog poop under the snow in the backyard.
But let's forget about that part for now because life's better when you ignore everything bad.
UNTIL SPRING
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, THIS is the weekend that you have more winter behind you than you have ahead of you.
It's officially O.K. for you to start dreaming about it all.
- Planting flowers
- Wearing the same thing outside as you do inside
- Opening the windows
- Feeling the sun
- Drop kicking your antidepressants into oblivion
- Becoming the kind of person who'll snack on fresh produce instead of Pepperidge Farms layer cake(s)
So much to look forward to. I'll miss my nightly fire but I've already started ordering my spring seeds and Monday I'm going to publish a post that lists all the new seeds I've bought for this year; flowers and vegetables.
In fact, I'm about to go start writing that post right now, while I do that, you can take a crack at the puzzles.
(and there's an Aerogarden Bauer lettuce update below)
The Small Puzzle (30 pieces)
Because you're saving the big one to do tonight while you watch The Last of Us.
The Big Puzzle (88 pieces)
Because you have nimble fingers and a fully stocked reclining armchair with cupholder.
The Aerogarden Bauer Lettuce at 21 days of growth.
That's 1 seed. These are going to be amazingly large heads and unless a gang of rabbits parachute down my stove vent I shouldn't have any pest problems with it.
Have a good day,
AhHAHAHA! I’m moving from MA to the OR coast in May. I’m friends with one of my new neighbors and told him what I’m planning for my gardens. He broke into laughter and reminded me that our neighborhood is called Elk Meadow for a reason! The elk eat everything. They’ll jump over 8 foot fences. They’ll climb on your deck. Nothing is safe. I’m researching window gardens and plants elk might hate. I’m sad to lose my gardens but excited to move to the beach.
Oh! That will be good! You may be landscaping with sand, rocks and potted cacti. ~ karen!
Your obvious delight at the upcoming growing season, for both decorative and edible products, does bring a Mona Lisa-esque smile to my heart. As is said of all who farm - you are outstanding in your field. Oh FWIW 2:32 and 22.28 respectively. Not bad for a guy with limited color acuity. 8 pack of crayons? No worries. 32 or 64 pack? I see several doubles. lol
I still haven't done the long one. I'll do it tomorrow morning with my coffee. With one eye closed and tinted glasses on to make it a fair fight. ~ karen!
We've already seen daffodils bloom here in near-coastal North Carolina. Tonight, we will probably get down to 28° F. Nuff said.
Daffodils already! Wow. ~ karen
Love the puzzles, but when you’re working on a phone and get half way through and then accidentally touch something, it disappears! Very frustrating!
I know - that would be more than frustrating! The puzzles aren't really meant to be done on a phone because phones are so small - a tablet or laptop work better. Or just do the small puzzles to minimize the frustration. ;) ~ karen!
I am picturing a heist scenario of bunnies with goggles and aviator hats. That has to be a Pixar short. :)
They didn't break in last night. The lettuce is bigger than ever. ~ karen!
Ohhhhh, THANK YOU for that wonderful news!!!!
And the gorgeous zinnias! I will have something to look forward to as I trudge around looking after all my animals on this absolutely (insert rude word of choice here) day.
And seed ordering beside the fire!!
Yippee 🥳
You'll like Monday's post. :) ~ karen!
Fantastic picture of zinnias - simple, easy, long lasting flowers that just don't get enough praise. The only thing missing in your picture is a bee, I just knew you were going to gift us this am.
I too was wishing one of those flowers had a bee on them. :) Counting down the days! ~ karen!
I have recently fallen in love with Zinnas! I think I bought seeds to all the different colors I could find, and can't wait to plant them :)
And these lettuce pics are going to drive me to buy an Aerogarden!
Every time I haul it out and use it I'm shocked at how well it works. I might have to try to make one from scratch. ~ karen!
Happy Birthday to me! I absolutely love Zinnias (zeen-ya or zinn-ee-a?) so this was the perfect puzzle to wake up to on my birthday. It was also fantastic news to hear we're closer to spring than winter. Happy day! Oh and I got an AeroGarden for Christmas and have been harvesting lettuce for salads a few times now. So fun!
Your blogpost is hope I needed today. It is -24 and -40 with the windchill. I am not dreaming of wearing the same clothes inside and out, I just want to stay home.
The Canadian groundhog died.
He did! The Quebecois one. Wiarton Willy is still with us though. ~ karen!
Hi Karen,
Thanks so much for the big puzzles they are such a wonderful distraction. I slipped on freezing rain on Jan 9th and now can do naught but sit with broken right ankle elevated and wait for spring flowers and the ability to get around normally again.
For those of you who still have two working feet: Remember to Watch Your Step!
Yikes! I hope healing happens quickly for you LeeAnne. Freezing rain is the WORST. ~ karen!
My earliest sign of spring this year came this past Wednesday when I was walking Belle -- right near your place actually -- and I heard a Robin singing! Couldn't see him/her, but I could sure recognize that distinct tune -- and it was like -15 C outside!
Really?! Wow. Maybe that's what Lip sits out on the back deck listening for. He'd sit out there all day. ~ karen!
There are now some flocks of birds that don’t all migrate. Canada Geese and Robins are now yearlong residents while some still migrate. https://abcbirds.org/blog20/do-robins-migrate/
2:27 for the first puzzle and 14:12 for the second. I ❤️ these.
I must look into an Aerogarden. I miss salads in the winter. The lettuce and tomatoes from the market don’t look very good nor do they taste fresh.
We had temps in the low 60s a few days ago. Single digits yesterday and overnight. My spearmint started to show its tiny leaves. I hope it survives for Mint Julep season.
Thanks Karen for slightly past mid-winter inspiration. Flowers and seed catalogues for dreaming in the prairies.
Not as far north as you, but our daffodils have sprouted about an inch above the frozen ground.
I've been reading your site for a while now and just want you to know--you are, quite possibly, my most favorite person on the internet. No joke!
Is it ironic that the day after you posted this (February 3), New Hampshire (Mount Washington) set a new national record for windchill in the United States.The air temperature was -46°F with 128mph winds, making the wind chill -127°F. Frankly, I am surprised it wasn’t the windchill wasn’t lower! Winter may be more than halfway over, but it is apparently still in charge.