To The Surbiton Manor Born

This weekend saw a LOT of work. We re-painted the deck, constructed anti-squirrel fortifications, ripped up a massive patch of creeping Charlie, planted annual flowers in the front, dug out many dandelions, put in more mulch, combined with a 9 mile fast-finish long run (1st week of training for the Ely Marathon in September).  All in all, the manufacturers of acetaminophen and ibuprofen must be pleased.  The photo above pictures the new "lobster trap" seedling protectors, in this case protecting tiny pepper & eggplant seedlings. A new design this year, using hoops, chicken-wire & 2x2's. What can't you solve with 2x2's, chicken-wire and a staple gun. Two are built, but I ran out of chicken-wire and need to make a re-supply run. Now, we like squirrels as much as the next person, but they seem especially aggressive this year. We're using a multi-prong approach. Plastic forks as a palisade (as around these zucchini): Irish Spring soap in pouches and spread

There's a time for planning, and a time for philosophizing, and a time when you absolutely need to do the things and have little time for recording progress. This is one of the latter. Spring in Minnesota moves swiftly. One minute, there are howling winds, everything is grey, icy, and cold. Then BAM! Everything is green. Trees have leafed out. Lilacs are blooming. Dandelions are bursting forth.  Most importantly, the plans that have been made must be fulfilled. Beds need to be cleaned out and planted.  We've made some good progress. Beets, lettuce, rocket, zucchini, kale, strawberries, raspberries, sunflowers, pumpkins, three kinds of acorn squash, parsnips, nasturtiums (sadly misspelled in the plans), marigolds, and cosmos are planted. Tulips have nearly run their course. Daffodils are about done. Crocus are long gone. Clover has popped out of last year's slag from the stairway excavations.  Sadly, because we were on vacation in Maine over the weekend of the 6th to visit r