Plying and Playing in the Dirt

Yesterday I spun Shetland wool. Today I spun Shetland wool. Tomorrow I'll be waiting for the propane guy to come repair the hot water heater. (Washing dishes with water heated in the kettle wouldn't be so bad if the ancient sink stoppers actually worked. As it currently is, you have to be really fast to get the dishes done before the water trickles out.) Then I'll hopefully get to head out to a friend's for the afternoon. When I come home, I'll do some spinning. I'm now about 2/3 the way through spinning. Is that light at the end of the tunnel?

This afternoon though, I took a break from spinning and played in the dirt! I tried some winter sewing. You know how the bird seed germinates into beautiful flowers or leftover tomato seeds grow to be volunteers in the garden? Well supposedly winter sowing helps this natural germination along. In plastic containers to be mini-greenhouses, I poked some drainage holes and dumped in some dampened soil. I planted a few seeds in them, sealed them up and stuck them outside. Theoretically this will stratify if necessary and get the plants growing in a natural cycle. There are Dyer's Greenweed and Elecampane in those containers. I really only need one more Dyer's Greenweed bush and only as security as I'm not sure one survived transplanting. The Elecampane is a Zone 3 plant so will hopefully do well with this technique. I've extra seeds to start early inside or in the greenhouse to compare with. I may end up with a gazillion plants if it all goes well.


I did a small planning survey of the garden space and I may have bigger plans than planting area. If I sort of shift my 2 new raised beds and fill in the middle walkway that I left, I think I can do it with some intensive growing techniques. Hubby doesn't like that idea as it will be much harder to weed. Do you think he'd notice if I filled in the 4 foot by 30 foot walkway without mentioning it to him?

I found my sourdough starter which I haven't fed in a few weeks. I've several different ones which I've kept going for nearly a year. Unfortunately I haven't fed them lately. I dumped out most of one and have re-started it. It seems to be fine. Herman, my second one, may not make it and I might have to start that one all over again. Herman made the absolutely best pancakes, so I'm hoping he survives.

Re-potted Chives for your pre-springtime growing pleasure!