This and That

 

Like some people's Christmas cards, the Burpee seed catalog comes precisely on schedule every year.  

Burpees knows that deep into the winter people need reminders that, "Yes, indeed, spring and summer are coming.  

The growing seasons may be a LONG way off, but we can still use these winter days to plan and to dream and to yearn for the flavor of a tomato fresh from the garden.

So, they make sure we get our catalogs immediately after New Year's Day. 

Yesterday, I read an article in the Spokesman-Review by their garden reporter Pat Munts.

  https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=AFSCVH&PC=AFSC&q=pat+munts+gardening+season+jan.+4

Her piece lamented last year's "weird" gardening season with special emphasis that she turned grumpy while having to wait so long for her first bacon, lettuce and FRESH tomato sandwich. 

As I read the piece, I felt better about my dismal garden of 2022 because the problems of stuff not producing and not growing seemed to be universal in the Inland Northwest, thanks to weird weather patterns accented by hot and cold flashes. 

Well, maybe this year, Mother Nature will be over menopause and will grant us a better year of playing in the dirt and watching food grow. 

So, I'm happy to see my Burpee catalog, and will soon be buying seeds to get this year's production started inside my house. 

Just thinking about watching seeds sprout into plants helps the psyche in January. 

I have been working with a couple of flowering plants which were brought in before the freeze and allowed to go dormant. 

The two geraniums seem to be happy to have all the attention.  The petunia success remains uncertain.

Burpee catalogs and Gonzaga Bulldogs:  what do they have in common.

Their common job is to make our winter more bearable. 

Well, last night while the ZAGS played the San Francisco Dons, I wasn't so sure the ZAGS were gonna measure up to their job description. 

Lackluster at best. 

In fact, it took until the very last seconds of the game for the team to deliver on their promise. When they did, the scream of joy I let out made up for all the morose moments spent wondering if they were ever gonna catch up to San Francisco. 

Well, the seemingly latent seed exploded on the court as Rashir Bolton and Anton Watson took charge and dumped some big baskets to catch up, to tie and take the lead. 

YES!  Hallelujah and all that!

The game ended in utter jubilation accompanied by a good dose of disbelief.  

And, thankfully, we can now move on through January as long as the ZAGS continue to provide us nail-biting antidotes to the winter blues. 

I have no idea how Gonzaga won that game.

 Rasir Bolton went Steph on those guys. 

 Zags got dudes.

                                                                            -----Seth Davis

While we humans seek ways to survive the winter months, Team Border Collie here at the Lovestead appears to have found their own distractions. 

With Liam as her mentor, Miss Bridie is doing her part as an official Lovestead ice licker. 

Bill counted yesterday and found 17 circular depressions in a cluster not far from the garage door. 

Liam has established other licking areas near the barn and down the lane. 

I haven't seen any actual training, but Bridie has caught on. She worked on an ice lick near the barn this morning and then moved on to Liams group of 17. 

The nice part about this passion: they don't spend so much time running the barnyard fence keeping track of the horses and whatever offenses they happen to be committing.

Unfortunately, the dogs see no problem with horses eating the fence.  Instead, it's that standing around doing nothing and snoozing that seems much more offensive to Liam and Bridie. 

I wish they'd get their priorities straight. 

In other news, my friend Connie is trudging on through winter and, like so many others,  ready for spring. 

Check out her most recent blog post. 

https://retiredmtnlady.blogspot.com/

Happy Friday.