In my opinion, spring has sprung. The chickens are laying, canaries are singing their little hearts out, a few snowdrops are blooming, and there is light in the morning.

I finally got motivated on Tuesday. It was chilly but I transplanted some spinach, lettuce, and bok choy in the hoop house. After getting warm inside in the midday sun, (it’s remarkable what a single sheet of plastic can do in the winter), I limed some spent vegetable beds and stomped on last year’s debris. I put some flakes of hay on the entire situation and walked away. In my perfect world, I’ll just burrow into the hay and plant some tomato and/or pepper seedlings later on this spring.

I’ve been busy seeding some flats in my attached greenhouse. I planted some asparagus seeds. They emerged exactly as asparagus only the diameter of a needle. They are so adorable with their little tips. I will not be able to harvest them for a few years, but, no matter, my existing bed is nearly forty years old.

I also seeded some rhubarb. I’ve done it in the past. It only takes a year before they are harvestable.

I was going through my pantry-stored potatoes. They have seen better days, although still edible. I picked out the smallest and planted them in the hoop house. I’m hoping for an early crop by mid-May. Time will tell.

I had limed the entire area in the fall so I worried that the acid-loving potatoes might do poorly. I put down a good amount of Pro-Holly as it does have sulfur which is acidic enough for evergreens and hydrangeas.

I wonder who owns the five large white geese I often see at the Cape Cod Bank?

There was a huge turnout at the annual Meat Ball at the Agricultural Hall last Saturday night. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Children ran around like crazy, food was great, and the Space Invaders band provided some serious foot stomping!

I noticed the forced crocus bulbs on the fireplace mantle and immediately became jealous. I have terrible luck forcing spring bulbs in pots. Kudos to the forcer.

Periodically I reread a favorite book. Recently I was perusing my dusty bookshelves and came across An Island Garden by Celia Thaxter. Within minutes, I stopped everything and started reading. The book’s copyright was in 1894. There is a wonderful, pages-long introduction by then 86-year-old Tasha Tudor. The impressionist Frederick Childe Hassam does the illustrations.

I remembered immediately how much I loved this book.

One of her comments is about using tiny bottles on her window sills for vases. A single flower is placed in each one. As luck would have it I had just purchased a small bunch of yet-to-bloom daffodils from Cronig's for a mere $4. I promptly copied Celia in my kitchen window.

I need a book like this right now so I do not become overly anxious about the situation in our country and the world.

DJT is meeting Kim Jong Un in Hanoi this week. Hanoi as you recall was the site of the infamous Hanoi Hilton. The late Sen. John McCain was imprisoned and tortured there for five years. He refused to leave without all his men. This is the same John McCain called by DJT a loser not a war hero because he was captured. Just saying.

Am looking forward to the Michael Cohen testimony to Congress this week. It reminds me of days spent in front of the TV back in the seventies watching John Dean come clean about Watergate. Should be interesting!