Spring

We've had weather in the high 70s all week. I've raked, weeded and admired my early spring blooms.




I've walked and picked ticks (I now refer to my walks by number of ticks -- today I had a fourteen tick walk, yesterday's walk was a nine tick walk -- oh, and to those of you who mentioned Skin So Soft, though you're right, Dakota is VERY sensitive to scent, which is why I can't use citronella and natural tick repellant that smells like cloves).

What I haven't done is figure out how to multiply hours.

I need a clone.

How are you doing? I'm trying to visit at least a few blogs every day. I may not get caught up, but I'll be less behind.

Weekend In Review

Was a busy weekend. Yesterday was absolutely stunning -- almost 70 degrees and bright sunshine. I did some raking of leaves from my gardens, dug up about 1000 baby violas (aka "Johnny Jump-Ups") that were spreading into the lawn. I pull these like weeds every year, but can't get rid of them ... it's wild. I think they should come with a warning label at the nursery.

Didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but still spent several hours outside in the lovely weather.

With the heat come the bugs, though, and Dakota is already having tick problems. I finally broke down and tried a topical tick medication, FiproGuard Plus for Dogs from Sentry/Sergeant's Pet Care. I bought it at my local Agway, and it's supposed to be comparable to Frontline. I know Vectra burns Dakota's skin, so we can't use it, but thought I'd give this a try.

I applied it on Friday morning at about 9 a.m. -- right before a walk. I put it on the back of her neck and down her shoulders, as directed. Though it didn't bother her on the walk (I suspect she was sufficiently distracted), she spent the rest of the day pacing and fussing. I don't know if it burned her skin (it wasn't pink like it had been with Vectra), or if it was the smell, which was pretty noticeable, even to me.

This morning, 48 hours after applying the stuff, I found TWO fully engorged ticks embedded under her collar. They'd been there for at least a couple of days and were alive an kicking (ew, ew, ew). I pulled them out -- one left a HUGE lump and scab -- and then promptly got on my computer and emailed the company. I'm furious. Not only was my dog stressed by the meds for a good twelve hours, BUT IT DIDN'T EVEN WORK.

We'll see what they have to say.

In the meantime, I guess I'll be going to back to checking for ticks every time she's outside, frequent combing and bathing and much crossing of fingers.

I have a love/hate relationship with spring.

How was your weekend.

Oh, and because I know someone will ask, I'm still not really well. The coughing is less now, but my throat aches again. Still, I'm not as completely exhausted as I was there for a while, so I think it's a win. Eventually the rest will go away. I can't be sick forever.

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You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you. Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks. Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

... making the impossible, possible. I thought that was my biz partner, Judy (aka The Goddess). It's right here on her bio.

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This and That

Spring is definitely here. Although it was cooler (down in the 50s) the last couple of days, this weekend will be in the 70s. I went out yesterday and raked leaves out of part of my woods garden so the daffodils can come up -- the foliage is already a good four inches tall!

I love spring. It's a time of possibility and the start of green growing things. It's not the lazy days of summer, when the garden is in and needs almost no tending. It's the busy time: cleaning, planting, pulling weeds. It invigorates me.

I'm still sick, but on the mend, I think. I'm just healing very, very, VERY slowly. I must have picked up some super germ and my typically uber-strong white blood cells are fighting a difficult foe. They're winning, but I suspect their own losses are extreme. And yes, I can see it like a little movie in my head -- white soldiers with swords up against black and olive green ones. Lots of yelling and bloodshed. Thankfully, they have no cavalry or that would get uncomfortable. *G*

I still haven't done much blog-hopping (I opened Google reader yesterday, screamed at the numbers and closed it again). Next Monday, I'm determined to feel well enough to truly get back to my routine.

Hope everyone is fine -- I try to peek in on Facebook now and then to see my friends. Have a great weekend!

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Spring is springing

I still may feel like crap on toast (in fact, I feel worse today than I did yesterday which is a horrifying thought), but spring is coming. I have proof! My crocus are blooming:




Other than that, I'm doing the bare minimum of work on the computer and trying to rest. Because OY VEY I don't feel good.

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Monday, Monday

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into. ~Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858

It was a beautiful weekend, weatherwise, here. Lots of sun and pretty warm (in the 60s during the day). Plants are popping up everywhere. The front of my house is happy (though this picture doesn't do it justice):



I broke down and bought some veggies. I got 24 tomato plants (I might get a few more) and I bought seeds for pickling cucumbers, foot long pole beans and butternut squash which I will plant tomorrow after the new moon (plant above ground plants when the moon is waxing, plant below ground/root crops when the moon is waning). If I soak them overnight, they should sprout in a week or less. I expect to be able to plant my entire garden in the next week or two -- no frost in the forecast!

And I bought a six pack of salad greens for fun:



I'm glad it was sunny and nice, because my attitude was not (which is why I didn't do a lot of visiting over the weekend with anyone on their blogs). It was one of those times when I was fed up with everything. Luckily, DH and DD were gone all Saturday and didn't have to put up with me :-)

Sadly, my biz partner, Judy, did. She's a good egg and I'm lucky to have her around.

Hopefully, this week will mark a better attitude for me. Things should be back to normal pretty much (routinewise), the weather is supposed to be *pretty* good and I have my fingers crossed that nothing out of the ordinary happens (unless I win the lottery ... that would be an okay, out of the ordinary thing. ::wink::).

My daughter donated a few pieces of jewelry to the Brenda Novak auction again this year (which started yesterday). They are here:

Set of 3 Earrings--Cats Eye & molded Glass on Silver Wires from Distinctively DD

Yellow Glass Bead and Silver Jump Ring Necklace from Distinctively DD

Red and Silver Glass Bead Bracelet and Earring Set from Distinctively DD

Even if you don't bid, there is a Facebook "like" link under each auction header that will share the auctions on your FB page -- I'd love if you shared it with your friends (and any other auction links that tickle your fancy). It's a great cause.

And now, I will leave you with a few other spring flower pictures from around my place, because no bad mood can stand up to the cheerful face of a daffodil (or a goofy dog):







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You See the Outside World as Fascinating

You are simply brilliant. You are bright, intelligent, and creative. You can't describe your feelings easily - even to yourself. Your emotions are a mystery. You are a truth seeker. You are willing to accept the real truth, no matter how difficult it is. You are not prone to compromise. You're set in your ways and proudly so.

How Do You View the Outside World?

That's pretty close to right ... which always unnerves me a bit.

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April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go. ~Christopher Morley, John Mistletoe

It was gorgeous here yesterday! And nice this morning. Thunderstorms expected later, but then the weekend should be STUPENDOUS. AND... I checked the long range forecast and they don't think it's going to freeze again!! I could tempt fate and put in some of my "soft" crops... I'm giving some serious thought to it. :::shivers with anticipation:::

I really love gardening. I love eating fresh veggies even more. There is NOTHING like the taste of a garden-ripe tomato warm from the summer garden. Mmmmm.....

I saw my first bat last night, too. It's amazing how loud they are with their chatter when they fly. The bugs are out (the male blackflies have appeared... yuck... meaning the females -- the ones who BITE -- will be out in a week or so) so I was pleased to see the bat. I'd like to put up bat houses in my back yard, but DH has a "thing" about bats.

The wildlife is active though. The deer have been back through, eating down all my tender spring plants. My bachelor buttons, asiatic lillies and tulips have been eaten down to the nubs. Part of this is my fault: I haven't put out the milorganite yet (that's on my list for tomorrow morning after the rains this afternoon). And the other morning, just as the sky was getting light and I had the dog outside, there was a wild turkey gobbling loudly out back. I have a love/hate relationship with our wildlife... I do love having them around, but wish they'd leave my plants alone.

How are you enjoying spring?

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You Are Iced Coffee

You are witty, flirty, and fun. People love to be around you and your energy. You need change in order to feel alive. You are very dynamic and interesting. There's so much you want to try. There's so much you want to experience. You are always expanding your mind in some cool way. You are open to and curious about the world.

Are You Iced Tea or Iced Coffee?

About 65% right. :-)

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Spring in New England

First a howling blizzard woke us,
Then the rain came down to soak us,
And now before the eye can focus -
Crocus. ~Lilja Rogers

We "welcomed" a nor'easter to our neck of the woods last night. Predictions were 6 - 12" of snow. I wish I could say I was playing an April Fool's joke on you, but ... no.

This was what I was enjoying just yesterday:






And this was my yard yesterday:



I stuck the camera out the back door this morning. Here's my backyard today:



I admit, the trees are pretty when they're covered in snow:



To give you an idea of how much has fallen, check out the piles on my railing:



And it's still coming down. Whee.

How's spring in your area? Have a great weekend!

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Sorry ... another stupid quiz today. Hopefully next week's quizzes will be better!

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Spring in New England

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush. ~Doug Larson

Taken this morning:






My lovely crocuses:


Yes, I gave them a little greenhouse, so the flowers wouldn't die. I want THIS to be there when it melts:




Those are DD's artsy pix of our flowers :-)

In other news, I got a shot in the arm yesterday re: my writing. Got a fan note on "Kitchen Matches" which basically demanded the sequel (Cori has a pile of brothers who need their stories told!!), so I sat and wrote some more. It's SO close to being done, I need to just sit my butt down and get it finished. I know what's going to happen, I just need to get the words down.

If I hunker down and get 'er done, I could easily have it finished this week. Just need to practice:


That's "Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard" for you non-writers out there...

*G*

Have a great day!

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You Are a Newspaper

You enjoy order and structure. You don't like it when things change much from day to day. You are primarily concerned with the present. You don't like to speculate about the future. You are straightforward and honest. You pride yourself on being easy to read. You are a people person. You wish you could connect with every single person in the world.

Are You a Book, Magazine, or Newspaper?

Except for the last line, it's totally right!

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Spring?

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens

We had a gorgeous weekend this weekend: sunny and relatively warm. We took lots of walks, and just enjoyed the coming spring. The front of my house gets full sun all day long, and really just COOKS, so my bulbs there tend to come up a bit early. Yesterday, I got to enjoy this:






I'm just going to pretend that they're not calling for three inches of snow today. I'm going to pretend that our radar loop does NOT look like this:


In other news, Dakota has decided that she is no longer going to be a doormat, at least not when she's on leash. Every time we walked her this weekend, if we saw another dog she would wait until we were fairly close and then throw herself to the end of her leash and bark viciously.

This is no way for an AKC Good Citizen to behave and I'm really upset with her. With one exception, the other dogs were calm and good and did nothing to encourage her behavior. She's in BIG trouble. I can't have a dog who behaves that way, so she's going to have to go through some serious attitude adjustments. It's true that many dogs act different on-leash than off, and this is true of her -- she's still fine running around at the dog park, etc., but this could be the beginning of a problem. So it's back to the drawing board for her. Bad dog.

How was your weekend?

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You Are Kind

You have a broad perspective on life. You are very understanding and forgiving. You prefer a quiet, peaceful existence. You don't like noise in your head - or in the world around you. For you, there's no such thing as too much calm. Having time to think is a gift that you treasure.

The Happy Smiley Test

Not even close,except maybe the "time to think" part.

Spring Visited

There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes. ~William Makepeace Thackeray

Yesterday was gorgeous, and I spent as much time as I could outside (which, considering how packed my schedule was, wasn't THAT much -- oh well). The snow is receding off the lawn like a balding man (I remember watching the comedian, Gallagher once when he said his hair was slipping down his head ... and that one day he expected to wake up and find it in the middle of his back). We still have quite a bit of snow, especially where the sun doesn't hit or where it was plowed, but I can also see quite a bit of smooshed, gray-green lawn. :-)

I get a weekly tip from Holly Lisle in my inbox on Friday mornings, and today she wants us to ask ourselves WHY WE WRITE. The email is much longer than this little bit I'm going to post (and if you click through to her site, you can sign up for her weekly email, too), but it was interesting. So, for all you writers out there:

You want to write. So far, so good.

Somewhere inside you, you WANT, you DESIRE, you YEARN---
you have a huge, compelling, driving NEED to do this thing
that is NOT an easy, simple, or straightforward thing.

You have this mountain you must climb.

And you need to know WHY.

So ask yourself:

"What do I hope to get out of my writing?"

Answer this question just for yourself, alone, as nakedly, honestly, bluntly, warts-and-all humanly as you can, because lying to yourself is the pure path to misery and to never getting what you want out of your life, and to never being WHO you want to be.

This is not an easy question, but knowing the answer is a gift only you can give yourself.

You don't need to tell me why in the comments -- this is a pretty private thing, but I think it's a good, valid question.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

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You Are Bamboo

You are a very independent and unpredictable person. You do things your way, and you never know what turn your life will take. You are very intellectual and logical. You try to think things through carefully, in steps. Sometimes it seems like you are unemotional, but you try to have your emotions work for you instead of against you. Those who know you best know who loyal, compassionate, and supportive you are. You are a very admirable person.

What's Your Lucky Charm?

That's actually pretty darn close to correct. :::shivers:::

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Top O' The Morning!

St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic. ~Adrienne Cook

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Are you wearing green? If not, consider yourself pinched. I was going to embed a video from "Finnian's Rainbow" -- but all the good ones have the embedding disabled (WHY do people do that??). But just imagine Petula Clark and Fred Astaire here.



I have TWO tomatoes on my inside plant. I'm so tickled. My pollination technique must be hit or miss, though because I'm about 1/3 fruit, 2/3 dead blossom and no fruit. Even so, this has been an interesting experiment. I know that a vegetable plant needs a certain amount of sunlight to produce fruit -- "amount" in length of time (a certain amount of hours), so in the winter they won't make fruit without use of a grow light. As soon as it started getting lighter longer here, though, in a noticeable way, the plants started popping out blossoms. Fascinating.

It POURED rain yesterday once it warmed up (thank heavens it wasn't snow, we'd have had two feet) and melted quite a bit more snow. It's supposed to be almost 60 degrees on Friday, so at this rate we may be snow free by April! It's incredible how quickly it melts.

I have high hopes for an early spring -- and would sure love to plant my garden by the end of April (the cold crops at least). :::fingers crossed:::

How about you? Are you loving spring?

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You Should Ride in a White limo

You are a down-to-earth and friendly person. You love to socialize, and you like having a big crew. You are a natural leader and organizer. You thrive with structure. You believe that life has a purpose. Part of what makes life meaningful for you is bonding with other people. You are naturally altruistic. You are a warm-hearted and sympathetic person.

What Color Limo Should You Ride In?

About 50/50

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Snow Melt and Strange Fruit

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

It rained most of the weekend, and what amazes me is how quickly the snow melts. We've lost probably half of what we had out there in just two days. In fact, the gardens in front of my house are completely open and I have daffodils popping up (which, despite my joy in the potential of spring, is not a good thing -- it's too early and they might get hit by more snow or a hard frost).

DD is sad -- she had a complete town in our front yard. She'd been using a square plastic container and making snow bricks for walls, she'd shoveled out roads and even had a huge cave. That's all gone now.

I'm sad for her, but I'm not sad.

Yesterday I bought a fruit I've been looking at the last several times I've been at the grocery store. I've never been able to find a name for it. The sticker only says "Caribbean Red" on it, and even the lady at the checkout said it just comes up "melon" on the register. It looks like a papaya on steroids, and tastes a bit like a cross between a catalope and a papaya (neither of which I'm overly fond of, so DD gets to eat it). Anyone know what this is?





The seeds are soft and squishy and remind me of fish eggs. DD is drying some and then wants to plant them to see if they grow.

Okay ... I just took some time to research it on the 'net and found Melissa's Produce which tells me it's a papaya. Alrighty then.

I actually managed to do a little writing this weekend. I've figured out what needs to happen in "Now and Forever" (the Kitchen Matches sequel). It means going back and adding some scenes, but then I'm done. Yay me.

Today, I'm just grateful it's Monday.

How was your weekend?

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You Are Business

You are a born leader. You are a visionary, even if you don't have a vision yet. You are both a problem solver and a number cruncher. You can think big or think small. You are a natural entrepreneur. Building something other people like brings meaning to your life. You have a competitive streak and are driven by money. You'd like to get rich... and to help other people get rich as well!

What Popular College Major Are You?

Yep.

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Spring?

Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn. ~Quoted by Lewis Grizzard in Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You

So, we went to agility last night without Dakota. It was very strange ... and I felt a bit lost since it was DD running the other dog last night. I sat for two hours with little to do. Tonight we help with beginning agility, and once again have to leave the dog behind. Poor puppy.

A funny though: the lady bringing the dog DD was running brought her own dog in as well, funniest looking thing I've ever seen. I asked what he was and she told me to guess. I said, "Lab / Corgi." because he probably weighed 25 lbs, was the color of a yellow lab with a big head and had the shortest legs.

She said, "Nope. Pit Bull / Dachshund."

I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one... that took some serious determination (and I really, really hope the the Pit Bull was the mama).

Spring is definitely on its way here -- we're having ADD weather: it's warm, it's cold, it rains, it snows. Yesterday we had it all in one day. Started out clear and warm (for us ... in the 40s), then the wind kicked in, brought in a cold front that included a pretty decent snow squall. Today it's freezing, with highs expected in the teens, but this weekend they're saying it'll be almost 50.

:::shakes head:::

The "joys" of the northeast.

I am planning my garden though. I want to have more room this year, and was thinking about expanding my garden -- but opted not to. Digging anywhere here is a massive undertaking... they don't call it the Granite State for nothing. Instead, I've decided that I'm going to use my annual flower beds and plant pretty veggies. So far I've gotten suggestions for decorative kale (which is also edible), rainbow Swiss chard, eggplant, scarlet runner beans, and banana peppers. I need stuff that won't take up TOO much room, but still looks nice and we can eat it. Anyone have more ideas?

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You Should Have a Pink Laptop

You are disciplined and organized. You know what you want, and you know how to go after it. You are very prudent. You think carefully before you act. You're a big believer in sleeping on decisions. Because you are quiet and sweet, others tend to underestimate your abilities. You are strong and a force to be reckoned with. You are one of the most determined people around.

What Color Laptop Should You Own?

Except for this: Because you are quiet and sweet..." it's pretty close to right. I've been called a lot of things, but quiet and sweet aren't two of them.

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Fun With Flowers

A flower's appeal is in its contradictions - so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect. ~Terri Guillemets

I have a mystery bulb in my front garden. I'm sure I bought it last fall, and I'm equally sure it's deer resistant (because deer resistant usually means vole resistant, and that's all I buy any more), but I can NOT remember what it is. I sure wish it would bloom.

Any guesses?

It's tall (about 2'):



And the bud is bumpy ... like it's going to have a bunch of little flowers instead of just one:



I'm thinking it *might* be a giant allium, but I've never bought them in the past because they are so expensive...

In other news, things are starting to bloom everywhere, and DD took the camera around to take pictures. Let me share a little of our spring with you.

The only tulips I have that bloom every year:



Grape hyacinth -- one of my VERY favorite spring bulbs. I'm so glad they multiply quickly ... the voles and chipmunks nearly cleaned me out and I had to buy new ones, but they're already making babies. Yay!


Pretty daffodils..


Small leaf rhododendrons (they bloom at the same time as azaleas, but unlike azaleas, they are evergreen like large leaf rhododendrons):


I spent yesterday outside as much as possible -- walked the dog and did some more weeding. Got another half bucket of dandelions and worked on getting the grass out of my flower beds. Next nice day, I'm tackling the gardens between us our our neighbor -- his yard o'weeds has left lots of presents in my flower garden and it needs a LOT of work. Worse, it's about 80' long ... only about 18" wide but very, very long.

Today it's overcast and they predict thunderboomers. A good day for housecleaning. I have a list :-)

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You Should Live in a Blue House

You are an intense thinker, but you also have a calm about you. You spend a lot of time ruminating, trying to figure out this world you live in. Friends think you're wise, and they come to you first for advice. You are a realist, and you tell it like it is - even if how it is isn't pretty.

What Color House Should You Live In?

That's pretty close to right on...

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