HighButtonShoeMarch 17, 2008Good morningand Happy St. Patrick's Day.My thoughts of late, while always peppered solidly with visions and promises of spring, knowing it WILL come, but rarely does it come on the calendar date, but rather when Mother Nature decides it is time, have been greatly spurred on by the many seed catalogs that have been filling my mail box since early January. I am never quite sure if that helps me get through the winter months of endless snow, and in this winter ICE...or if it makes winter seem more endless. No matter. I pour over each catalog page and envision marvelous gardens full of each of their offerings. In reality, I am not a good gardener. Ron is the gardener. Big surprise, there, huh? He has the patience and persistence to stay with weeding, and all the back breaking work a good garden insists upon. I, of course, lack the discipline to usually attain my lofty goals. In the past few years he has left me to my own talents, which rarely makes for that garden I strive for but never quite seem to get. I have come close a few times however. 3 summers ago I had a memorable herb/flower garden. I worked hard and diligently that spring and early summer and my efforts paid off in a garden that was rewarding, and made each back ache and broken fingernail pale in comparison to my lush flowers and plants. Last year, with the 'move' occupying all my time, the garden suffered bad. But with my usual spring determination (often well forgotten by June), I am planning my garden again. Ronnie caught the fence surrounding this large garden with the snow plow early in the snow season, so that must be repaired. We have varmits. Deer and rabbits are many, and without the fence will eat my plants faster than I can replace them. Varmits are not nearly so 'cute' when they just ate all your garden down to the ground!For many years I have gone up to Wallin Farms, about 30 miles north of here to a great nursery and loaded up the back of the truck with perennials, and the cemetery urn geraniums and such, always some cosmos, some pansies, and snapdragons. If these are not bought early enough, like early May, by Memorial Day, the supply is naught and you don't get any. I always had the calendar marked and my mindset geared, and was there on May 1, their season opening, within an hour of their open time! Buying that early means I have to keep them not planted, and covered in nights and sometimes days, as our weather often freezes yet late in May. Some I never get planted. This practice I resolve EACH year to NOT do, as Ron's theory is that I should just throw all the newly purchased plants out of the truck on the way home along side the road, and thus save myself the frustration of not getting them planted. They only can grow SO long in those little seed pots..... apparently. Each year, I aim to prove him wrong, but in the end he usually is right. A fact that while frustrating as this is money spent, I do believe gives him much gratification to say I told you so. So this past fall, while going thru all the boxes for the move, I came across enough seed packets to plant about 10 gardens. Obviously I must have never been able to pass a seed rack, without buying several packets. I have a bunch of seeds! So other than my geraniums and thin lacey fern plants for some planters, I intend to plant my garden from seed. With my garden discipline, I am almost doomed from the start with this plan. However, it is my plan. I organized all the seeds the other day. So I know what I have. IF I can keep a determined attitude, which is often a BIG if... I will once again have a garden I dream of. Why is it, I wonder, that everything that has any merit, always takes effort?I still have only the 9 old century old bricks in my winding path thru the garden in the ground. My plans 2 years ago to get all 300+ of them in this marvelous path I envisioned never happened. So there they all sit, in a big pile. For some time, I thought were I to work on even 10 a DAY, I would get the path finished in a month. So that is on the agenda too. I have long forgotten the grid Ron so patiently figured out for me to make this path. But that no longer matters. What does matter, is getting those bricks IN a path. Unless I get another lesson or can figure out what I already have done, the 9 bricks, it will be however I do it. Scary thought.We still have snow. I walked a couple miles down the dirt road this morning while the mud is still frozen to make walking easier. The road in one week went from the sheet of ice it has been for months to mud. I am not even complaining! However, the snow banks along side the road are waist high in some places. The creek was running slowing under the bridge with sheer thin ice still evident in places. Soon with the run off, it will exceed its banks about 3 times wider and will be rushing down its way. I love that creek. The red wings are back as are the robins. And the mourning doves are cooing and chasing each other around. The smaller birds chatter all day now and the sounds of spring are definitely here, along with the 'look' of it in the sky. One must just overlook the snowbanks. But hopefully within a month they will be gone. I have been washing windows to rid them of winter. And if I could get to the clothes lines, which I can't, I would be washing quilts etc to fresh them. Ah, spring. I love it! AND you know, spring means pussy willows! Everyone should have a swamp to enjoy!We have new items up on www.theprimitivegathering.com as of the 15th. Two of the dolls already sold. Also check out Miss Elspeth (Wendy) of www.pineberrylane.com while there. Miss Els is taking her talents in new directions and you should check her website as she spreads her wings to new endevours. She shows new things on the 1st, while I show new on the 15th. There are many great artists there.Also, I have added authentic Amish childrens' dresses and an Amish bonnet to pages 1 and 4 of the countrycraftshowonline. And in the 1800 house we will have new spring things added for release on Wednesday the 19th. Check out all the great artists' antiques and folkart there. This is one great website!Also if you have not checked www.lemonpoppyseeds.com in a while, you should! What a fast growing list of GREAT artists.Well, it is almost noon here and my plans for the afternoon are to take Ronnie coffee and lunch, as he works on the Gundrum Mercantile. I have been working a few hours during the week, hand rub staining the trim work of this magnificent old building in its restoration. How grand this will be! So I best put on some coffee and get lunch ready to take.I added a picture of my garden the year it looked good. That is my goal again for this year!Thanks for asking to be a part of the farm. Should you decide not to, merely reply with remove.We have some interesting plans for this year. Right now I am savouring each day, and like friend Deena of primitivegathering who battles cancer with fierce determination and inner strength, I have, along with Miss Elspeth found many things each day to be grateful for. Yes, somedays we must LOOK for them, but they are there. Spring brings out the gratefulness in me, especially after a long winter.But then, any winter that goes past 2-3 weeks seems long to me! This winter of endless ice, makes spring all the sweeter!in fond regard,Tilda, the gardener(with determination)