Satan's Kiss & Wet Dog Smell

I started a bunch of peppers this year, but I forgot to write down a row so now I'm not sure what was written down correctly and which line was skipped. I'm sure it was the pepper, Satan's Kiss, that wasn't included ( i think) so I'll end up planting them all. Maybe once they start bearing fruit I'll be able to tell what is what by a pepper line up.

The one year I grow enough pepper plants to share and I don't have a clue what I am offering. Ughh

It's raining here and temps are starting to cool down. The dogs weren't in a hurry to come in so they are now drenched and the kitchen has muddy paw prints stamped across it. The smell of wet dogs should be bottled and used as an interrogation technique.

No More Lawn

The new beds are really starting to shape but I'm still unsure when I should start planting since we are expecting cooler temps. Every time I look into the dogs area I see something new that has been destroyed by the girls so I really think it's going to be the lesser of two evils. Frost or beagles?



Planted my new daylilies and have started setting out the tomato plants. It's going to be awhile before I can plant them but they need to start hardening off. The air is so much better than the musty basement anyway. The flat leaf parsley that I started from seed looks great. We love to cook with it but we also use it as a host plant for swallowtail butterflies. I've started so many many plants that we should have enough for both.

If I can pull everything together that the yard should look really amazing this year. It has evolved into a large garden instead of a couple beds around the parameter of a large grass area.



Well, I'm going to get out there and enjoy this beautiful day.

Thunderstorms

This morning thunderstorms are beating down on the Quad Cities and it sounds wonderful. I think this is the best storm we've had in a long time. Perfect mix of spring warmth, rain and boomers. Another noise that started last night was the catbird announcing she was back by singing all night long. I saw two of them flitting around in the tree so maybe this year she will have babies. As soon as it stops raining a bit I'm going to introduce the mealworms to her although I still don't think she'll find a dehydrated worm appealing. Maybe they will puff once they get soaked by the rain. :)

I find it amazing how a good rain seems to green everything up overnight. Our muddy swamp is starting to look like lawn again and the green of the perennials are starting to emerge.

Bailey (beagle one) seems to be getting over her twisted ankle. Last outing she got a little too rambunctious and somehow hurt herself while chasing her sister. We had a three legged dog limping around for a day until we decided we had better take her to the vet. After being told to keep her off her feet for awhile and given some medication, I was wondering how we would manage. Apparently, Bailey was in so much pain she didn't mind being a couch potato for the week. To the dismay of her rowdy sister that tried to egg her on Bailey had no problem being spoiled and playing the the drama queen when anyone else tried to get on her couch. This morning she's walking fine and has even started her favorite pastime; taking cardboard boxes out of the recycle bin.

The Move

The blog moved, I didn't but what a headache! So here I am. Aug. was the last time I posted. Wow, I can't believe that. Well, a lot has happened as it should.

I got two beagle puppies last fall that ended up being two very sick puppies. After a lot of money and heartache they finally are better and are able to eat without being ill. My bad, I actually bought them from a pet store so there is a good chance they were from a puppy mill. I know, I know I should have went to a shelter. What can I say? I wasn't actually looking for a dog but then I saw one & fell in love. Her sister was attached to tail (literally hanging from the other dog when I picked her up) so I figured I needed them both. Crazy idea because I totally forgot that the cost of food & vet bills will now be x 2. Oh well, we really didn't need that new car.

Since I have new, rowdy puppies I'm giving up a lot..well, yes a lot but really a city lot of our yard. They need a place to run and I have too many plants that are toxic to chewers so I'll be moving my garden once it's safe to do so. Now the rest of our yard will be down to a single path & the rest gardens.

So I have to combine 100's of plants that I have in the dogs yard-to be and try to come up with space for all the seeds I've started. I've tried to stick with veggies this year and maybe a few flowers. I started 6 different kinds of tomatoes & 6 peppers. I would love to do more but no space. We're going to get a deep freeze so I can start freezing more.

I'm really excited that its almost spring!! Can't wait to see green.