Spring is officially here

This morning I picked kale and green onions from the garden, so I am going to pronounce it spring. Even if it was threatening snow last week, and tomorrow's high will only be nine degrees.

I have started my indoor starts. This year I'm trimming down the number of varieties I'll be growing, but I have four types of tomatoes, sorghum, basil, cabbage, and bok choy started, along with three small trays of marigolds. Mid-May, I will start some pots of Mongolian sunflowers, which are supposed to grow into 14-foot giants, but last year the rabbits beheaded many of my sunflowers, so I'm not letting myself get too hopeful. But maybe if I can make them fairly tall before planting out, they'll have a better chance. Everything else will be direct-sown at the end of May.

And then the stress begins of juggling work, grandkids, housework, garden, and projects up at the church. It's most stressful trying to be in two places at once, knowing my garden needs me here but knowing the woodworking projects are waiting for me up there... I am alleviating some of the busyness by eliminating green beans and peas (sob) from the garden this year. Those require daily and sometimes twice-daily attention, but most of the other plants I'm growing only need a look-see once or twice a week. I'll have to get my beans and peas from the farmers' market this year. Which would be fine, but I find most people pick their green beans when they're too big and Styrofoam-y. I like mine slim and tender. I suppose I could plant a little, and accept that many will go to seed for lack of daily picking. Then I wouldn't miss out completely.

It's still joyful stress, though, I'll have to say. It's great to have the opportunity to garden and to do woodworking, to have my grandkids come to play, to have a job that supports us and a house to clean. So I won't complain, and instead of trying to decide if I prefer to be up at the church or here in the city, I'll try to focus on just being content wherever I am.

(Picture from a few years ago, but it looks the same except I've removed the small hedge on the right.)