Craving Springtime!!!!

I know tomorrow is February 1st but I can not help myself.

I WANT SPRING!!!

I want warm weather, open windows, and working outside in the gardens a little bit everyday. 

I am so done with cold dreary weather with bleak cloud filled skies. Being stuck in the house drives me stir crazy. This year has not been our coldest but it has by far been the stormy/cloudiest. This is the first time my poor dirt roads have been dry all winter because of all the snow we have been getting. For anyone that does not understand--- muddy roads is not good when you have small kids wanting to ride bikes or play soccer or even make it from the truck to the house without slipping on to their butts in the mud.

I sit here at 3pm and I have a roaring fire going and layers of clothes on but still I am chilly but not because its cold inside, I mean its 70 degrees inside and 57 outside but with a strong breeze that is blowing and no sun to be found it makes it feel colder.

I think another reason I am craving spring is because we just went out last weekend and started cleaning our smallest garden plot which after this year will become the long term orchard of grapes, asparagus, strawberries and other berries. 

We already planted 5 grape vines last spring and they did really well so hopefully this year we can get another 5 (or maybe 10......15 who knows). We have a row of asparagus in there from last year and hope to get one more planted, plus I just ordered 100 strawberry plants. Yes that seems like alot but I got 5 different varieties and some probably will not make it. Not to mention during the summer we can go thru strawberry smoothies like crazy.

The random berries will happen as we find them, if we have the chance we will do it this year but probably not till spring next year.

I will be starting seeds in the house within the next 4 weeks. I have some of the seeds I want to start already but ordered the rest today and its making me antsy.

I succeeded in  tiny broccoli last year so hoping that I can grow it bigger or just a tons more tiny heads this year.

My morning eggs are needing some mustard greens. 

My stir fry for dinner needs fresh bell peppers and squash.

We only have a few more jars of spaghetti sauce left that I stashed for saving since it was so good.

Basically I am ready for my garden and my fresh food. 

This sense of longing for it comes earlier and earlier each year.

This year will be a bit easier since we are not doing our local farmers market. We decided it would be better to take time off and finish random projects around the property then to work ourselves weary and not make any money.

Once the weather gets quite warmer we will be starting on breaking ground for my greenhouse that will be attached to my house. We will be finishing the rabbit/drying shed/ hay barn/ workout room (it has been used for all of the above) since its still missing some doors and a roof cap. We are also planning on painting my house, 5 years of little kids on flat paint is not a good thing. For painting I need to be able to have the doors and windows open and fresh air flowing. I do not need to encourage my kids craziness by filling them with paint fumes.

There are things about my spring I am not ready for but will deal with, ha ha kinda have to. 

Most importantly the wind. We have killer winds, I mean 40-50 miles per hour steady and gusts in the 70's. In April of 2010 our wind killed a greenhouse we tried building. (Note to anyone reading DO NOT try the Harbor Freight kit greenhouse if you have any high winds!!!)

I am also not looking forward to snakes. Thankfully I have never found one when I was alone and my older children know what to look for but I still do not like them. They hide from us in between plants and that scares me to death. 

As I finish this today the sun is starting to peek out of the clouds. Maybe tomorrow will be a better, warmer day that will allow us to work outside a bit before my husband comes home for the weekend.

Hoping everyone out there a great day and hope if you have nice weather your enjoying it extra for me.

God Bless,

Cris