What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Thursday, February 26, 2009

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

10 comments:

Nanci said...

Hey Farmer Girl,

That is one serious garden. I expect to see lots of pictures of its progress.

Jerelene said...

You sound like you are definately ready for spring!! ME TOO! I just love the blue bird picture. I posted a picture of a crocus that came up...I was so excited!! We will be planting a garden at our new home this year too..I can't wait!! It is exciting for the kids too!!

Anonymous said...

I can just see your garden growing....think of me when you are enjoying all of it. I'm the one in the hot, hot, hot desert!

Crystal in Pahrump

Tracy said...

We have bluebirds here year round, and I love them. Happy planning!

Terri said...

I don't think I've ever seen a real live bluebird. He's gorgeous!

I love your garden plans. You sound like me. I can't wait to get outside and get my hands in the dirt!

Bonnie said...

I finally got a "whiff of Spring" yesterday. You know, one of those winter melts where you finally smell dirt and life! Ahh, I love it.
We have Blue Birds that frequent our feeder, and (drumroll please) I SAW OUR FIRST ROBIN SUNDAY!!!!!
If that doesn't herald spring, I don't know what does.
I am excited to see your garden, and curios to know how your heirloom seeds do. We only seem to grow the hardiest of the hardy. Our house was built on an old tree farm (or was it an orchard?), and I think it has robbed a lot of nutrients from the soil, even all these years later.
I'll stop talking now. I've been nursing sick children for the last week, and well, I'm a bit anxious for adult interaction!
Tootles-
Bon

Peggy said...

Would you like some seeds? I have an ammo can full but will not be able to plant a garden this year. They were packed for the 2007 growing season but I usually keep my seeds for several years with no issues. We do have quite a few with some being organic, some heirloom, and some hybrids! I hate to throw them away so if you are not interested please mention them to anyone you know. Locally everyone I know has even more seed than we do! It's funny in a sad kind of way but I think we are the least prepared of our friends! :)

I love the picture of the bluebird! We got another 4 inches of snow yesterday so figure it will be the beginning of May before we see grass or dirt for that matter.

Rebecca said...

Peggy~ are you kidding? Gathering seeds is akin to gathering fabrics and only slightly less exciting than gathering books!

What we don't need I can pass off to the garden lovers I know.

I'll email my addy in my next email to you. Which WILL happen one of these days....

Grandma Bibby said...

You need to put up a bluebird house. They are the coolest birds to watch when they make their nest, lay eggs, and wait on each other while waiting for their young. We have bluebird families each year. Remember our houses. I sit and watch. It is so good for the soul. God is indeed gracious to have something like this for us to enjoy.

Abigail said...

These two pictures are lovely!

I've had a Baker Creek Heirloom Seed catalog staring at me for the last two months, but I haven't ordered any seeds. I don't know if I will, given the soon move, but after reading your list, I'm nearly overcome!

And I'm so glad that you can dig deep this year after waiting and wanting for the last two years. The harvest will be yet more sweet.