those who were seen dancing

If I hadn't just been very sick, this morning would've found me clearing out the garden beds for spring. There's snow on the ground, sure, but the weather is delicious. Spring returns! It doesn't surprise me that so many religions have rituals around this time of rebirth; after a snowbound winter, it really does feel miraculous. And like a surprise, too! Spring in the mid-atlantic comes just when you'd forgotten how to expect it, sneaking in these little tendrils - into February, of all months, keeper of winter olympics and Groundhog Day and snow.

Yeah. This is why I live here and commute to the northeast. Well, this, and you local kids. I love everything, but today I particularly love the itch in my brain that wants to run around barefoot and dig in the dirt as it starts to warm.

I have a new roommate coming soon, another gardener and foodie. Probably a more organized one: hon, are you fastidious about gardening as well as the kitchen? Because I? Am not. But I do love growing food, the spring planting and the summer eating. We might need berry bushes. And chard. And zucchini. And probably more tomatoes, if we need to feed two people. Let's grow things! What do you want to grow?

I'm practically thrumming with the anticipation.

It makes me crazy happy to decide I want basil or cilantro in something and just hop right outside to get it. Best gardening idea ever, putting those two so close to the house.

I have something like 20 little squashes growing, and an absurd number of tomatoes, all now on 5' tall plants tied to stakes & the fence. Hurry up! I want to be able to decide that I want cherry tomatoes and just go pluck a handful.

Anyone want squash? Tomatoes? Or massive banana peppers? The squash especially is going to overwhelm me quickly. The peppers are coming in now, and the squash I'm guessing 2 weeks. My parents brought cucumbers and jalapenos to the beach with them; I am jealous, since neither of those is producing tastiness for me yet.

I do the vast majority of my gardening at night (which is the title of an old REM song, so). It's pretty effective when handling actual plants - dirt is easy to see, plants are fairly tactile.

The mistake I made awhile ago was planting several different varieties of seeds in a fairly confined space. With lilies. And onions. Because I have no idea which seeds got planted where. In fact, I'm a little iffy on what I planted, period. I plant seeds because they're so inexpensive that I won't be sad if they fail, and that first batch I apparently paid almost no attention to. There might be radishes, but that could also be a batch of cilantro at this stage. It's possible that there are cherry tomatoes. The only thing I'm sure about the is the cat grass, which I should dig up and bring inside since the outdoor cats all just followed Richmond around.

I did better last night - I put the seed-based greens in lopsided little rows in front of the tomatoes and peppers.

If you were out in the back yard last fall, you may have tried to talk me into hacking off a limb of the pear tree that had partially cracked.

If you did? YOU LOSE. The pear tree is totally healing, and the branch that looked like it was doomed? Is sprouting little bitty green leaf buds.
Garden coach says trees sometimes just heal like that.

Pear tree FTW!

Add "reasonably good summer pears" to my list of stuff I'll have available for garden co-op, local peeps.

Kids! My bulbs are coming in! I looked down off the front porch this afternoon to see the very distinct shoots of my crocus, alium & big red tulips. Bulbs are an excellent lesson in patience.

Richmond, please do not freeze my plantlets. I know it's February. I don't ask you for a lot of favors. I'm not saying it needs to be 70 every day, but if we could skip the single digit temperatures, that'd be awesome.

In celebration, I got grass seed ( close your eyes if you're careful about gardening ), figs, small roses & concord grapes. The roses and grapes will stay inside for awhile (probably till the end of March per this handy data set), and I'm not sure how figs handle cold. Can I plant them now?

I have 7 months and a couple of days to create a beautiful outdoor space out of my slightly sketchy backyard. This is okay, since it's been a project in my head for this spring pretty much since the week before we picked out this house.

But now! There's a DEADLINE. Specifically, there is OMG SQUEE WEDDING in my backyard during Labor Day weekend (also, last year, the weekend I moved in... someone sing 'Circle of Life' right now).

So. I would like your advice on what things to figure out how to do myself, and which ones I'd be better served paying someone to come do for me. Also, if you're around and feel inclined to help, I will enthusiastically accept your offers.

The list, part 1 (things that must happen):
- Take down old rusty chainlink fence in back
- Put up attractive privacy fence, also creating 2 parking spaces behind the yard
- Groom broken pear tree
- Do something about general lumpiness of grass
- Ensure fence process does not destroy morning glories and Moses Myers berries, or plant more

The list, part 2 (things that'd be awfully nice):
- Disguise homeliness of under-porch and tiny basement area
- Plant something pretty around the stairs
- Create attractive yet functional composting area
- Create walking path from front yard to back (with what?)
- Hang plants & chimes on back porch
- Build beds & plant flowers around center trees
- Plant cuttings from parents' roses and great gramma's rose-of-Sharon
- Create small veggie and herb garden, possibly near or in flower beds

The list, part 3 (things I am torn about the desirability or necessity of):
- Replace less-rusty chainlink fence in front with something cuter
- Create ground-level sun patio with firepit and stuff off the porch (with what?)
- Remove unsightly phone cable that I don't think is used in house at all
- Install rain barrels
- Acquire and install swings
- Or a hot tub
- Or, like, a merry-go-round

Your thoughts? I'm guessing that, even though its expensive, it's a good plan to hire a fence person assuming I can afford it in March.

In case you weren't there, we had a massive baby shower at my house yesterday. I mean massive. There was a point where my crowd phobia got triggered in my own house. [Which is like. A really. Weird. Feeling.] There were many instances of bizarre intersectionality and a few of people putting the past aside in favor of love and tribe. Everyone seems to have tried their best to be gracious and helpful. There was music. There was dancing. There were kids and parents and soon to be great-grandparents and presents. There was... juggling? That's new.

This is our village.

So. Yeah. I think that was a success.

Those of you who came, especially those of you who set up or were wandering the house tidying up (though most of them aren't on LJ): Thank. You.

After that? I'm serious, doktor_jess and goodgothgirl - sure, have a wedding at my place. You know, after the backyard gets less homely. Anyone else I love have a life event to celebrate? Cause I was thinking last night that being the custodian of my house as it approaches 100 means more than just protecting the [Gah! 93 year old. Just thinking about it sends me into an anal retentive home owner tizzy.] floor and fixtures. It means the house needs to hold experiences. Even the ones so overwhelming I need to get out of the house to process them.

Also. Apparently I really want to be living here in 2016 for 100th birthday party. That's... a ways off. The deepening of my relationship with Willie is a topic for another post.

O friendslist, do you contain any gardeners?

Specifically gardeners who might have ideas about things this slacker could plant this fall in Virginia, things that ideally would stick around through spring? Strangely the internet does not seem readily able to answer this question unless I want to read all about gardening.

I want to plant some decorative grass and something floral.

We haven't watched teevee in awhile, and I've been treated to the fun of watching Sere (the cat) watch the screen all evening. It's been fun all week seeing them reacclimate to stairs and big spaces and doors that go outside. Lots of running and staring. They seem happy.

Now there's a cat asleep on each arm of my sofa. It's quiet and raining outside. I have food in my kitchen and books on my bookshelves, and a dremel story I get to tell people. Despite the half-installed washerdryerthing in my hall, I feel at home for the first time.

The cats don't know four dogs are spending the night tomorrow.

If you are local and I don't have your email address, I'm having a little thing next Saturday (the thirteenth) just to have a first party in my house, which I own. If I do have your email address, you already know about the shindig and have my address.