Hard rain gonna fall

John and I finally got our seeds started on Monday while the mercury hovered around 72 and a hot wind blew. Tomatoes, basil, peppers, eggplant, onion, broccoli, cabbage, and brussel sprouts are on the warming pads and germinating at last.
That night, around 3 a.m., Callie jumped off the bed and began pacing around the upstairs. I thought she needed to go out, but ten minutes later, the heavens opened up, and it poured. Of course, my first words were, "I hope Harley is inside." We've had more rain on and off this week, with more coming. There are still patches of snow, here and there, but for the most part, the white stuff is gone. NOAA is calling for sleet/rain mix tomorrow night :(

Seed Savers Exchange Catalog

Last night, sitting in front of the ticking woodstove, I sat amidst a semicircle of seed packets spread around me. John and I inventoried what we had left to use, what to toss, and what we needed to order for the coming year. Snow flurries whispered around the windows, Callie curled up  in a dot by woodstove, and the two of us, planning and visualizing this years gardens--it still seems a long ways off, but the planning happens now.

John is once again, entranced by the pretty pictures, and like a kid, wants one of everything! He joined Seed Savers Exchange last year, and I have to admit, their catalog entices gardeners by sheer beauty alone. Half the fun is reading the descriptions of early heirloom varieties and their history.

I'll also put in an order to High Mowing Seeds for other stock we can't get from Seed Savers. And of course, in support of my Maine brethren, I'll order my seed potatoes from "The Maine Potato Lady" up in Guilford. Her simple black and white catalog may not look as mouth watering, but her descriptions go into great detail about which spuds are best suited for what type of preparation, and most importantly, storage qualities.

Seed Ordering Time

It's that time already--the cold winds of winter howl around the house while John and pass seed catalogs back and forth, planning the gardens. So yesterday, I sent in the first seed order (minus one pepper variety they are already sold out of!) with more to follow. I find it hard to think about gardening when my mind is still wrapped around skiing (of which I haven't done nearly enough) and other snowy activities. But the early orderer gets her picks. If we wait too long, the high demand varieties are gone!
But before we start the seedlings, I have to get through the craziness of maple sugaring season, which is just around the corner in a few weeks! We'll be busy for an intense week or two, boiling down sap for next year's supply for syrup. As I type this, I'm eating oatmeal, drizzled with last year's syrup and dotted with crystalized sugar chunks--yum!