Leaving paw prints

Usually by February, I am sick of winter. The gray. The taupe. The blah. This year, however, we had some snow (never enough) that has actually stuck around for a while. It's so nice to see white, especially in moonlight.

Animals leave tracks in snow. These were on my front walk. I am guessing it was a fox, but it's difficult to tell, as each print is a double; the animal stepped into the same paw print with its hind leg that the front leg made.

I was hoping that Burpee would send my lettuce seeds ahead of the plants I ordered, but apparently not. I'm anxious to try growing lettuce inside. I may purchase some seed locally, just to get started.

I came across the following graphic somewhere (FB?) While the idea of growing plants in water is intriguing, I have questions.

I have taken cuttings from plants and rooted them in water, but then always transplant them into soil.

Step one (or two?)

This weekend we have been experiencing freezing rain. The following week it will be just freezing - single digit temperatures overnight. So let's order some plants and seeds.

I guess step one of placing gardening orders is to decide what to order. Step one-point-five is figure out where to order from. Step two is to actually place the orders.

It is very easy to get carried away, but now that each plant feels rather expensive, I find it easier to rein in my impulse to purchase one of everything. So these are the (restrained) selections:

From Burpee (I grabbed these photos from the order verification email, so the quality is not the best):

Echinacea Sombrero Hot Coral

Garlic, Early Italian

Lettuce, Looseleaf blend

Strawberry, Evie-2

From Bluestone Perennials (again, photos from the verification email):

Asclepias Soulmate

Heurchera Electra

There are a couple of other possible addtions to the backyard, but I'll ruminate on them before purchasing from a local nursery.

Growing lettuce indoors

The lousy grocery store strawberries and garlic has me thinking about growing food again. Another food item I complain about is salad greens - they always seem to get stinky before I can use them up; sometimes they are stinky right from the get go. A friend told me the lettuce she buys at the local farmers market lasts two weeks in her fridge, so that is an option. OR I can grow my own.

These instructions showed up somewhere along the line in my Internet browsing: Growing Lettuce Indoors Year Round. From purchasing greens at the grocery store, I have a couple of proper containers as well. I worried about how the leafy greens would get enough sun, but then recalled the bamboo mini LED grow light garden box on top of the freezer - perfect. Once I get some seeds, the experiment will commence.


What I like to refer to as Oobleck is falling from the sky this afternoon: a mixture of snow, sleet, and rain. My location is right at the junction of all three. I put out extra birdfeed, but those of a feather are hunkered down somewhere, hopefully warm and dry.

Can o' worms

I follow a group on FB called Indiana Wildlife. A week or so ago, I posted a pic of the bluebird house I have. O.M.G. A lot of people "reacted" to it, but I got a few snotty comments as well, specifically how the house did not meet requirements set by the National Bluebird Society (NABS). If you want to view their recommendations, go here. All I can tell you is the sparrows don't take over this nesting box, but the bluebirds do.

I was going to post the following pix on the FB site, but decided to just let it go, not fan the flames, etc.

This past week, I was looking for something on this blog and came across many summertime photos - so much color! Quite a difference to the current gray and taupe. Spotting this nuthatch at the birdbath raised my winter-worn spirits, especially since it hung around long enough for me to take its photo.

BTW, my hip is fine, no changes since the last check. The discomfort is muscular, so I've been repeating the physical therapy, taking Advil to reduce inflamation, and shortening my stride when walking the dog, all of which seem to help. It's Groundhog Day and very overcast here, so let's hope for an early spring.