Thar she blows!

 It's been gloriously warmish and sunny over the past few days.  So, so difficult to keep from running amok with spring fever.  I've started more seeds - flowers this time - three kinds of sunflowers, sweet peas, zinnias, and balloon flowers.  I allowed myself to be thrown under the power of the poppies in the Bakers Creek catalog.  There should be a warning label on that catalog.

Of course, our forecast calls for ice, sleet and snow tomorrow, into Thursday.  Le sigh.  However, today the sun is out full-tilt, but it has gotten pretty nippy.  I was out with the garden cart earlier, starting on the megajob of hauling out a few (hundred) loads of chicken flotsam from the coop and looking forward to a cozy fire in the fireplace, when a hellish dry wind whipped up and distributed most of a cart load in every direction for miles (my neighbors can thank me for the free fertilizer).  It's one of those dangerous zero-humidity high winds that can take a spark and create an inferno.  I'm hoping none of my neighbors decided to burn their Christmas trees today.  There's a steady wind, but there are also gusts that are strong enough to blow the hair off your head (especially if it's loosely attached...)  No fire for us tonight.

I had forgotten to keep track of my Defensive Driving discount on my auto insurance and was shocked into action when I received notice that my monthly bill was going up.  I signed up for the AARP course because, as a member, I get a discounted rate.  The downside is that you are constantly made to feel that you have one foot in the grave and are a danger to all on the road.  Fergodsake.  They give you little pop quizzes to judge your level of decrepitude - totally bogus.  I answered all of them correctly and was treated to dire warnings that I need to see my GP about my declining mental and physical health.  The nerve.  Quite frankly, the only interesting nugget of information that I came out with at the end of the (brainfreezingly long) course was that tires have a shelf life of six years and you should ask your mechanic how old they are before buying them.

Speaking of cognitive health, I am taking a Spanish course online.  I know I am getting better at it because I am no longer answering in Anglo-Dutch-Spanish.  This reminds me of the time I went fly fishing with a girlfriend off the banks on Long Island, many moons ago.  We completely missed the LARGE no-fishing sign and were merrily casting away, when a F and G officer swaggered up to arrest us.  Probably not to arrest us, but he looked a bit menacing.  When he pointed out the sign, I started babbling in a mixture of Dutch/Spanish, nodding and smiling.  P followed suit, without the babbling.  He slowed his speech down to mono-syllables and upped the volume - NO FISHY HERE.   I babbled some more, both of us nodding and smiling, and we scampered back to P's car.  La phew.

For those of you who requested it, here is The Table:

It is presently, as you can clearly see, the hub of my garden-planning/seed-starting activity.

Spring is coming in on a musical note.

 I am basking in the glory of birdsong this morning.  Robins are everywhere, I have heard the all-important-to-spring redwing blackbirds, and today I heard my first bluebird.  O frabjous day!  I also noticed that the red squirrel has been chewing on the opening to the bluebird house.  Bloody rodents.

The back deck has received its first brooming and I hope there is time for it to dry before the rain starts tomorrow.  Both dogs are comatose, having spent a good half hour racing through the sheep paddocks, enjoying the space and smells.  

I am contemplating a gluten free Irish soda bread for Sunday dinner with my sister and mother.  Speaking of which/whom (mother) things are definitely on the downward slide.  It seems like someone flipped the dementia switch and there is very little conversing with her now.  There's a lot of back and forth to VT now and I'm trying to support my sister as much as possible.  Mom is going into comfort care at home and I am very grateful that Vermont has such a great elder care set-up and that my sister is such a rare gem.

Meanwhile, I've been starting seeds and just standing outside, taking deep breaths.  And trying not to think of ticks.

Another entry into my wacko life journal - yesterday, when I went to drop off Mom's tax info, I aimed my key fob at the door to unlock it and, instead of hearing the usual beep, I heard a Canada goose honk.  Pause.  Tried again, same thing.  But it was all in the timing - I looked up to see two geese flying overhead.  It made me think that Subaru should offer various animal sounds on their remote devices.  You could recreate an entire jungle in a parking garage!

My Irish wish to you all:

May the wind be always at your back and up your nose, and may your blessings outweigh your woes.

(Sometimes I just kill myself...)

Note to self: Act your age

 My wifi mysteriously went out a week ago and it's taken until today to solve the problem.  Let's not even consider how many hours of phone-hold time were involved.  At least Verizon has bearable hold music.  Or should that be bare-ably music...  In any event - here I am!

Not much of any significance has been going on.  There has been some knitting.

Matchy-matchy!

One pair down and another on the needles.

There has been cooking.

Sauteed mushrooms,  onions
and spinach

On a polenta base

There has been a lot of driving.

There has been Mom-sitting.  This also gives me more time with my middle sis, so all is good.  But, crikey!  Just shoot me before I hit 90.  The lifestyle is so slow, it goes backwards.

I have also been working on little projects/chores/niggly bits.  I repaired the squirrel damage (for now) to my squirrel proof bird feeder (an oxymoron, if I ever heard one),  I repaired the coop hen door, just in time for their exodus.  I started pepper and scallion seeds and am gearing up to start some early kale.

Speaking of kale - there will be something new in the garden!  If these babies come to be, I will be pinning a blue ribbon from the county fair on my lapel.,

Photo from Rareseeds.com

Oh, man, I can hardly wait to plant this!  Think of the salads!  I could feed the town - town, heck.  With enough of these, I could feed the state.  Especially since I doubt most of my neighbors would eat kale.

Since I was so wound up about my burst of get-er-done energy, I decided to tackle one job that has been on my list for far too long - tightening the legs on my dining room table.  The dang thing has been heaving and leaning in a most alarming manner for months.  I rooted around in my tools (organizing and downsizing of same is still on the list) and got my wrench kit.  Then I flipped the table on its side.  Oy.  Then I flipped it on its top/back.  Oy VEY.  I crept around all four corners, tightening bolts and whinging and whining, then realized I had to put it right side up.  This is no sissy table.  This is a bespoke (sorry, couldn't help myself) table built from Mexican door parts, with neato drawers for napkins.  It weighs a TON.  I managed to ignore it for a while, lying on it's back/top like a big pine turtle.  I vacuumed around it, made a cup of tea, did some knitting, but there was no getting around it (literally and figuratively).  It had to be righted.  I was having my neighbor over for dinner and it's the only dining surface in the house.  I doubted he would take to a picnic on the floor with the dogs.  At 88, it's not feasible to get up and down without help.  Heck, at my age, I have enough trouble myself.  So.... I pulled up my BGP and woman-handled it to its side, then braced a leg with my foot and heaved.  I managed it, but SweetLouise.  I do tend to forget that I am not 30.  Or 40.  Or 50.  You get the picture.  In my mind, I am ageless and invincible.  But that is the only place where those two qualities reside.

I administered Ibuprofen and adult liquids before bed.