Seeds and Spring

I've seen many a blue JAY in my lifetime, but never a bluebird (and I've seen me some birds!!!). UNTIL, that is, I heard the call and saw a blue flutter onto our very own branch upon our very own tree right out of our very own kitchen window.

Each birdsong heard gives me a moments pause. "It is coming!" their high pitched twitters call.

The sun, its rays less pure and more golden, looks and touches with more warmth. A warm, low "It's coming" is heard as it kisses my cheek.

Even the creek babbles in anticipation. "It's coming! It's COMING!" the bubbly cry sputters as it races down the hill to spread the news.

Green heads burst from their frozen brown beds and bound toward their new life in happy relief, "Coming, it is! We feel it!"

And bodies, from homes of every kind, unfurl, uncurl, and crawl out into the sunshine, stretching heavenward and breathing deep. Inhaling calm, after such a long time of protecting from the harsh. We know it. We feel it. It IS coming.

SPRING is drawing near and the world is in a tizzy preparing for that great day!

I too, sit inside with windows open for just a FEW minutes, letting breezes fly into and freshen my home before the cool breeze, preparing for warmed soil and sun. For Springs arrival and the grand reception I'd like to offer her.

After two years of not being able to plant, again I get to till and toil in life-feeding earth. Two years worth of yearning makes the anticipation and planning twice as sweet and twice as exciting.

Oh, the many hours I've enjoyed flipping through seed catalog. How wonderful it felt to place my order and fork over money set aside in white envelope labeled "GARDEN!"

Our very own place, one that Lord willing will someday be ours PERMANENTLY, now has opportunity to plant and plant the many beautiful perennials and fruits that I've dreamed of for so, so very many years.

But alas.

White envelope with many days of scrimping stretches only so far.

The "pretties" I long for will have to be found in the little yellows flowers of pumpkin plants and zucchini, the purple fireworks of chive flowers, the bright shiny reds of tomato and the greens---OH, the GREENS! EVERYWHERE!

I tried where ever possible to order Heirloom seeds so that I might save their babies to plant new, rather than continue ordering and ordering. This way, perhaps NEXT year, envelope might pay for some of those fragrant, superfluous beauties! ;-) I also sought out good storers for my first attempt at root cellaring.

Here is the order, eagerly anticipated and cause for many a good day (and even night) dream. The (H) refers to Heirloom.

(H) Top Crop Green Beans
(H) Kentucky Wonderwax pole beans
(H) Cylindra Beets
(H) Lutz Green Leaf Beets
Brussel Sprouts~ Bubbles Hybrid
(H) Giant Pascal Celery
(H) Chicago Pickling Cucumber
California White GARLIC
Sweet Basil
(H) Progress #9 Garden Pea
(H) Extra Early Little Marvel Garden Pea
Wando Green Pea
Green Arrow Green Pea
(H) Mammoth Melting Sugar Snow Peas
(H) Chinese Giant Bell Peppers
Early Spanish Peanuts
Early Jalepeno
Banana Bill Hybrid Pepper
Kennebec Potato
(H) Ground Cherry Tomatoes
Summer Squash Medly
(H) Burgess Buttercup
Waltham Butternut Squash
Ghost Rider Pumpkin
Ebony Acorn

Matt had previously ordered seeds for:
(These are all heirloom, I think...)

Spinach and Mustard Spinach
Lettuce
St. Valery Carrot
Australian Brown Onion
Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage
White Box Radish
Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe
Tendersweet Yellow Watermelon
Sugarbaby Watermelon
Boule d'Or Melon
Gentlemans Corn
Bride Corn
Calypso Bean
Jacob Cattle Bean
Painted Pony Bean
Sunray Tomato
Stupice Tomato