Note

Planted potatoes today, And radishes

New (for me) Amaryllis

No going to plant stores for me, or my mother the enabler. Of course it is mighty pretty.

Forsythia Blooming

of course all I have are tiny cuttings from last year. A few look like the didn't survive the winter but two are blooming.

Notes: Outside lettuce is up and peas are just starting to come up.

My Unbelievably Good Dog

So, Tuesday morning while being coerced (read told repeatedly then dragged so she'll stop whining at me and bouncing around) out of my bedroom Toka got a toenail stick in the threshold of the door. I thought is was just a broken nail and after getting her to stop bleeding all over the house (really, everywhere), wrapped it up to keep out the dirt until I could check it and put a dog boot on it. I got stuck working and finally looked it over last night. Mind you she hasn't been touching it, or chewing on it, and wasn't limping. I cut the wrap off and found she actually split one of her nails and has to go to the vet, to have it dealt with. That's not the interesting part for me.

My dog, who needs to be sedated for vet visits so she doesn't injure herself or anyone else, put up with standing in my bathtub with her injured foot in a bucket of water, for quite a while. She put up with my poking and prodding to get all the dried blood off so I could actually see her foot. She let me dry it, wrap it back up and put the boot back on and has gone back to ignoring her foot. I expected her to pull the boot off the moment she was left alone. I'm extremely impressed with her behavior. There was some grumbling, and I did need two people (thanks Mom!) to put the first wrap on, but wow.

She did just start limping this morning and at this moment is sleeping the sleep of the drugged while I wait for vet appointment time to come. (last time it took over three hours for her to start falling asleep, this time it was barely an hour, I might ask about lowering her dosage so she freaks me out less, she'll still be a little loopy tonight I expect.)

Update: $55 later the nail is clipped and the dog is fine.

Note for Me

Planted some lettuce outside yesterday, and some peas today. Strawberry Seeds just started coming up.

Cold Frame Attempt

This is what I finagled to keep the snow off my blooming bulbs. I made a second one and scraped all the leaves off the first planting bed. The sides are open, so it will really only raise daytime temps a little, help dry out the planting bed and keep off snow. I used four windows that have been languishing in my basement for over a year. I'll be using two more to fix the wall of the shed I kind of left open over the winter.

Note to me, the lettuce and tomatoes came up Friday, but I missed the lettuce for a bit too long and some of it got leggy before going under lights. I might just leave it as I'll be planting some more next week anyway. So far nothing on the strawberries.

Upgraded Plant Table

I needed more space for the seeds this year. I had to chop the existing hangers shorter then added a second level. I have another shelf to add but I'll have to dismantle the tables base to add another level. I probably shouldn't go lower then table height, as the dog's tails already hit the pots sometimes.

Planted More

Tomatoes (6 each of Mortgage Lifter, Super Sweet 100, Gardener's Delight, and San Marzano), Alpine Strawberries (21) and first set of lettuce (12 total, three varieties) planted today. I've got to get my plant stand finished this week.

Iris ‘Katherine Hodgkin’ - Just in Time for Snow

With more snow on the way I did build a jury rigged side less cold frame so I could at least drop the pot these are in under it to maybe keep them from freezing. These bloomed just a few days earlier last year and they live in a pot so i can keep track of them.

Other notes for me, Peppers and Eggplant seedlings are coming up, got to get back to building a plant stand with lights to take care of them.

Downsizing Fish Tanks

I haven't made up my mind about what I'll be doing with the big tank, but most of the tiny fish are staying. The bigger unfriendly fish are getting rehomed. I might pick up a few harlequin rasboras to keep the single one I have left company as well. While digging through the tank I've found 4 fish I haven't noticed in years, 3 different kuhli loaches, and an extra candystripe pleco in the tank. I thought I only had one left.

Taking down the big tank is going to be sad. When I first started keeping fish my goal was a 75 gallon tank. Sadly, it took years to get to that point, and in the intervening years my interest and finances have waned. It has taught me a bit about interests. Suck it up and after the initial attempt go for what you want rather then taking tons of little steps in between. I wanted a 75 gallon planted tank with lots of lights and little fish. If I'd pooled all the money I spent on smaller tanks and stuff in the intervening years I could have gotten the tank and other setup bits easily enough. I might not have ended up with as many tanks (24 at one point), but I might have gotten what I wanted more, and I might be less annoyed with the tank now.

It's sad but right now I look at the big tank and see something taking up space in my living room using electricity I could do something else with. I still like the fish enough to keep them, but the big tank is just a drain, and though I thought of repopulating it I haven't for several months.

Crocus

Spring is coming...

Peppers, Eggplant and Streptocarpus

Yesterday I finally planted some streptocarpus seed I got months ago off eBay. It was also time to start the slow growing annuals, so six each of banana peppers, king of the north red peppers and eggplants got set up as well.

July Amberwing

Amberwing Dragonfly

Since I'm freezing, here's a pic from last July. This is from a set I took then got annoyed with. I'd left the ISO high to get a photo of something else, and I find these photos too noisy. Never mind that you can barely see it even when zoomed in all the way.

Close Up Frost

Another one from a few weeks ago. This time I cropped it so the detail is a little more visible.

Happy New Year

May you enjoy your weather as much as I enjoyed mine.