Expectations of Spring

These pansies were under all the snow.

The snow is melting, the temperatures are rising, and hopeful expectations are burbling, yet not quite ready to surface, but anticipating the perfect moment.  The day when the soil breaks open with the help of a shovel and tiny seeds or a green leafy seedling is gingerly placed in the new crevice designed to house a plant.

Some narcissus are emerging next to the garage.

As you can see we do have some botanical activity to be excited about.  On warm days, after my walk with Willa, I will explore my property, looking for signs of life.  I study the various sprouts of green emerging from the brown dirt trying to identify what miracle of  spring beauty I have to look forward to.  So far I see oriental poppies, narcissus, peonies, crocus, and iris.


I found my old seeds from 2016 and decided to start my vegetable garden now.  My planting schedule is not much different than when I lived in Southern Idaho.  As you can see peppers, cabbage, lettuce, and basil are beginning to grow - yeah!  I will start tomatoes next week.

These sprouts sit in front of my balcony door.

Corey bought the book, The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour for my birthday.  I am gleaning a lot of information about using cold frames and poly-tunnels to extend the growing season, and even harvest during the winter months.

This is the our garden plot.  It is about 25'x25', and it needs alot of attention.

 Speaking of my birthday, I have to share this beautiful coconut cake that Lillia made for me.  She used a gluten free flour blend from Namaste to make the batter, and it turned extremely dense.  When I made Corey a German chocolate cake last month for his birthday (he turned forty-three) I used the same flour, and it was dense but more like a brownie.  Lillia ended up baking four cake rounds because the first two rounds shrunk so much after cooling.  Lillia presented  me with a four-layer coconut cake frosted in a coconut-flavored butter cream frosting for my forty-second birthday- yum, what a special treat!

I tried to get Lillia to be in the picture with me, but she decided to take the photo instead.

I asked Corey if he liked being 42, and he said that it was great because he was able to move to Northern Idaho, and because he found another Irish Terrier.  I have decided that I will also enjoy being 42 because I will get to make my new house in Northern Idaho a home.  I am looking forward to my first spring at Haefen.