this & that

Progress report on bulbs brought in to force into bloom early. The tulips (in front) will be spotty at best, but I see buds! hurray!















What's this?? Empty bird feeder, with repairs a la RedGreen! I told you it was ugly. But it probably won't last long as the squirrels are trying the best to destroy the whole feeder!

Over at fluffiusmuppetus, the point is made that this time of year is crazy time for gardeners. I agree. I pore over those catalogues, and I'm sure I need purple potatoes, yellow cucumbers, orange striped tomatoes, and endless vegetables which I'm not even sure what they are. Asparagus peas would be a case in point. Although I have made a 'plan', I have not sorted the seeds yet. "Another job to do", as if I'm suffering ;) Oh, and I'm also looking at all sorts ornamental plants which I'm sure I need. Where I might put it all? Oh well, if you have to be practical about it, you're no fun at all!

I just found out that Christopher Lloyd, who has lived at Great Dixter since 1921, died on January 27th 2006, aged 84. Is there any reader of gardening books who hasn't enjoyed Lloyd's flamboyant writing on gardening and the use of colour? He will be missed but never forgotten.

I shoveled a little snow off the drive, then went for a vigorous hike this afternoon. When I returned, I was in a bit of a sweat. I did bundle up, really, really well, because I hate the cold, even though I love being outdoors. So, after I settled down a little, I looked out and thought, you know, those bird feeders have been empty for a couple of days now, I really should give the birds a treat. So I went back outside, but I didn't bundle up again. I mean, I was only going out there to fill the bird feeders. The hands got colder and colder and colder in a matter of mere minutes. It doesn't take long to fill two bird feeders, after all, but yikes: my hands were f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g. Actually, they were red when I came in and unthawed them under tepid water.I guess we are back to seasonal temperatures around here now. Thank goodness for tea!
















I tried here to catch Misty in the act of dancing along the fence tops. The other two dogs don't do this at all. Misty has incredible balance and can be seen running along the fence top as often as not!

And here for fun, check out the Bellydancing Librarians. I have enjoyed studying belly-dancing myself in the past and would still love to do it if I didn't have to travel so far to a studio/school. I even considered getting some dvd's and practicing with them. Besides being so good for you, I think most dancers would agree, the best part is the costumes!

Here are my nieces, a year or more ago, dancing with some scarves. See? It's genetic. We're born to enjoy the feel of wonderful fabrics and dance!

















Hopping about from blog to blog, I discovered this great site, Freecycle, a group at Yahoo, started in Arizona, it's a grassroots organization that has spread to pretty much any and every part of the world. It's free way to pass on stuff you can no longer use and you can also find out about stuff, locally, in your community that is free for the taking. Check it out. I'm going to keep an eye on my local group because I'm looking for fencing ideas for the vege-garden, paving stones, bricks, rain barrels...that sort of thing.