It's springtime or the season of growth.

is there a 24 hour difference across the continent for the equinox?

some more snow melted! the strawberry plants are ready to go again. yahooooooooo! now to convince Cleo that she is not to do her own harvesting. <sigh>

Almost all our snow is gone. Just a few more sheets of packed ice....

the snow drops just appeared here 2 days ago.

I envy you, mikey. I'm hoping to see something, anything in bloom. I know that strawberry leaves and dogwood branches are colourful, but they're not flowers!

That's why the Flower Show is on in Boston this week. Always this week,..just enought to get ya started. I went yesterday, and bought some great floweing trees for my deck, flowers for the house, flowers for the yard, and some new trellis. I'm gonna get meself out of this awful winter funk,..if it puts me in the poor house!!

That was such a KIND thing to say I wondered what you and Beth were talking about, Satt, and re-read the entire discussion. Yikes, fuzzy! So, that's what speed-reading will do for me... I saw the date and a list of times & picked mine. OK, Vernal Equinox for the Pacific Coast was on Thursday afternoon... right, thanks! Next time I'll try to pay more attention. So this must be the third day of spring!

SPRING!

Springspringspring!

I'm moving to Texas, by the way. Been busy lately. Busy busy busy. Moving in about a week. It's really spring down there!

Moving to Texas, marycat? Good cooking opportunities?



piffka - i thought i'd misunderstood the listings as well. that's where my question came from. I need to get my online sunclock up on my screen again!

Beth, I'm glad you've planted the red osier, I think you'll enjoy not just the color, but the birds who may use it for a handy perch. I've let mine go so they stand about 8 feet tall. The smaller birds feel safe in the tangled branches and use them all year.

Hi MaryCat -- a chef job in Texas? Congratulations!! I've heard the spring wildflowers in Texas are amazing. Enjoy your stay.

Beth, we're moving for a bunch of reasons. There are work prospects there for me, but then there are at least a few for me anywhere we'd go. There are no job prospects for Brian here in New York -- we've been looking for six months -- but there are plenty for him in Texas. And it's cheaper to live there by far. And I'll make about the same money there as I would make here. So we're packing up and leaving. Going someplace warm with clean air and open space! Woohoo!

Thanks, Piffka! I'm so excited. And so nervous my stomach is in knots. But mostly excited!

I can't wait to go where there are wildflowers, instead of concrete everywhere.

{{{MARYCAT}}}

Texas!!. That's great!!
I don't envy the move, but do envy the location,..I love Texas!

Yeah, the moving itself is a lot of work... though there is that nice feeling of shrugging off detritus to look forward to. I've never been to Texas, but I've seen gorgeous pictures -- lots of different kinds of scenery. Good luck finding a great job to both you and Brian.

any colorful ideas for window boxes in the shade? i've struck out 3 yrs in a row and have no clue.

mikey have you tried Impatiens? colorful and do well in shade.

You'll love impatiens, they flower freely and throughout the summer -- buy them early when they're small for the lowest price and the best choice of colors. There is a nursery here that crowds them a little in pots and gives them a half-feed every week. I have forgotten to water mine (sigh) but if you do, they'll return from a wilt forgivingly. My favorite is to mix a jumble of their colors: magenta, purple, oranges, reds, pinks and a little bit of white for contrast. Adding a vine or two... like a small-leaved ivy... gives the planting a less formal air.

http://www.oglevee.com/images/new_guineas/ov_redpm.jpg[IMG]

looks like i'll try the impatiens. seem pretty easy to care for. i lke the idea about the vines mixed in too.