Spring Has Sprung

After a difficult February, I'm happy to say that March was a big improvement. We continue to have warmer than usual temperatures, which has led to early spring flowers. The pace of spring is like a ripening avocado: nothing, nothing, nothing, BAM! After long, dark winter days it seems that my to-do list has exploded. The garden is ready to be cleaned up, there are sticks all over the yard (OH THE STICKS), and of course all the flowers need to be started and tended to.

The daffodils were quite early this year. In some places they were blooming February! For some reason they don't sell well. Are there people who don't like daffodils? Maybe it's just because they are so ubiquitous and seemingly in everyone's yard already. I have some specialty types that I think are really cool, but maybe that's just me, the flower nerd.

I'm in full seed-starting mode. It has been wonderful to have records from last year, so I know when to start each variety. I also have a process down which has increased my efficiency and reduced the overall amount of stress. I don't find it necessary to plan down to the specific number of each plant, instead I make sure my trays are always full and find random spots to stick each seedling. I know some will die, and I know I need to have the next round ready to go when the previous succession is finished. That being said, I think 128 snapdragons was a tad ambitious.

Even though the daffodils have bloomed and the trees are flowering, there still aren't any leaves on the trees. It's still a bit bleak out there, but in a few weeks it will be creeping towards glorious summer once again. I'm sure the person responsible for lawn mowing in this family (not me) is not looking forward to that, but for me the warm weather and sunny days is worth all the extra gardening.

Even the puzzles are flowering. There was a missing piece though - arrgh! We use a framed blackboard as a puzzle board, which is great because it contains the loose pieces. I also have a piece of foam board that fits over the top to prevent cat tampering. The downside is that it's not quite large enough for most 1000-piece puzzles, so if anyone has another solution I'm all ears.

The living room looks like this most of the day. It's why we haven't bought a new couch. It's a fort and a cat scratching post, so it seems silly to spend thousands of dollars on a new one at this point in our lives. Honestly why do we have furniture at all, let's just throw a bunch of pillows on the floor and call it a day.

My new thing for the month was a visit to the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. I have been wanting to visit for over a decade, and it did not disappoint. "Outsider" and folk art is my favorite type of art; I love the idea of people making art because they feel driven to, not as part of the official canon. Usually the wall text at art museums is a bit dry and full of facts. At this museum, the biographies of artists and explanations of the art were so fun to read, I probably spent just as much time reading as I did looking.

This photo is the side of the museum - the building itself is a work of art. This museum is so inspiring because it drives home the fact that anyone can make art. You don't have to sell it, or be good at it, or even show it to anyone. If you want to make a replica of a ship out of hundreds of thousands of toothpicks, go for it. If you want to decorate every door in your house, why not? We are meant to live with art and be surrounded by it. 

April brings the craziness of tulip season (I have over 800 planted which will need to be harvested 2-3 times a day when they get going) and the planting of many more seedlings. Plus, I have to start going back into the office two days a week, which is at least at 45-minute commute each way. I have gotten so used to working from home over the past three years that it seems ridiculous to have to go back when we have managed just fine for so long. I'm guessing most of my day will consist of being in virtual meetings while sitting at "my" desk (my in quotes because no one has an assigned desk anymore). The only benefit is that I can listen to audiobooks while commuting.

Happy spring to those of you in warmer climates, and if it's still snowing where you live, hang in there! It will end eventually and you'll see green again soon.