Seedlings up

Looks like the Hoya is very close to blooming.








Yay!  It also looks like my very last and very old Cherokee Purple seed was viable and even vigorous. The seed leaves are well formed. When they are shrivelly , i am told, it means that the seed was essentially no good.  If i don't accidentally murder this seedling i hope to save the seeds so i can have some for next year.  They are suppsed to be a very sweet tomato, even better than Brandywines perhaps.  I can't wait to find out.

 

Snapper, a sweet bell pepper is up.

 Slim Jim eggplant is just starting out.  I got no fruit from this last year- i think wintersowing is not beneficial to eggplant. I think exposure to so much cold does not allow them to get in gear soon enough. This flat of seeds was germinated with bottom heat from a 60 watt incandescent bulb.  I hope to get sturdy plants by planting time.

 

 Below is another eggplant i am trying. Like Slim Jim, this one is a long , slender type, only green rather than purple.  The entire Slim Jim plant is a velvety purple- the two of these plants with or without fruit should be an interesting contrast in colors.  This variety is compact, can be container-grown and is described as being suited to my cooler climate.

 One of the Stocks are up...but that's it so far.

I'm still waiting anxiously for the durned snow to melt.

 It really is giving way, though slowly.  Along the roadsides, the snow is all but gone. Many yards are free of snow. The last few days of cold has not allowed the grass to green up yet.  Its been in the 30's and very windy. After Monday the weather forecasters are saying we should have 40's through the remainder of the week. I wish i had enough black plastic to cover the whole garden and absorb that sunlight!

Warm-up

If only for a day or so. Yesterday was a nice and warm day, highs in the 50's. Today is expected to be in the high 50's but i expect it to make it into the 60's. Its still been at or below freezing at night and cooler weather is again coming back in a few days.  I;m enjoying it while it lasts.
I haven't seen any open crocuses yet, but the green leaves are poking up so it won't be long.

The snow in the yard has melted enough for some of last year's kale and maybe cabbages to poke through. They are still sort of green.  I can't get out far enough to see if my grapes are starting to wake up, they are still under many inches of snow- so i assume not.

This is like watching grass grow.  Yes, i have done that.  The winter rye before the garden was dug.  Yes, i even took pictures. lol

I'm really fighting back my impatience. I have done virtually all that i can up to this point. But waiting is making me go crazy.  I love winter, but when its time for winter to be over i want it over! :o)

I have tried a couple online garden date planners. The ones that calculate times to plant based on your last frost date. But most of them assume incorrectly that the snow is gone and my soil has been worked over already. I'm not planting peas and even if i were,  i still have a few inches of snow to deal with.  Even on early spring years there is usually plenty of snow left on the ground about now. So it hasn't done me any good.

I'm also getting to the point around the house where having a toddler makes it an extra challenge to get things done. Also the routine of trying to keep things clean is getting dull.  I get up, make coffee, serve breakfast, pick up scattered toys, vacuum, do dishes, pick up wayward toys, serve lunch, hope to get a break if she naps, but end up using the break to get some mess figured out, do the dishes again, pick up the oldest from school,  try and come up with an idea for supper.  Its just endless and gets boring. Sometimes breaking up the boredom is getting online a few minutes now and then throughout the day- but during the day most people i know are at work, so its not often very exciting.  I'm so slow at housework that going someplace as a diversion means stuff doesn't get done and its more work the next day.
So i'm in a rut and that is another reason i am so obsessed with looking forward to spring! 
When school is out i'll have my oldest to give me a hand in things so i can get garden work done. By next summer the youngest will be old enough to be more independent and should be less likely to do heedless things like run out into the road or get into trouble in the yard.

The weather right now is gorgeous, its 1:30 and its 65 degrees out, but very windy (hopefully drying up that snow!)  we have a wind advisory- up to 50 mph gusts expected. I have windows open all over the house, just enjoying the freshness to the air.  The tar in the driveway is warm enough to walk barefoot on.

I sure wish this weather would hold, but its supposed to get cold again through next week.