Planting

Today is planting day.

I've spent most of the day getting together my pots and my soils and coconut fiber stuff and peat. Most of it's in little clumps that look freeze-dried - they've had to be saturated for about 10 minutes each but I have it all done. The soil - Organic Miracle Gro! - is already ready to go and is sitting in the bag in my living room.

You might be asking, "Why aren't you planting in the ground like a normal person with a yard?" Well, that's twofold - first, because the soil here SUCKS and it does not like green things. Second, because we won't be staying here past June. Those who are unfamiliar with my story should know that we will only be in this house until May or June, at which point our lease ends and we will be moving on. We could probably sign another one, but honestly we're done paying $500 a month (rent-to-own) for a place that is our own but is mediocre, and dealing with a negligent and confusing landlady whose bank doesn't want the house in their name anymore and who dislikes us (looooong story). So our stay here, as great as this place has been, is almost up. In lieu of permanent plantings outdoors, I've chosen to do a lot of potted plants - I have three small pots of spices (parsley, orgeano, and cilantro (or coriander if we choose!), a hanging basket of strawberries, and I have two hanging baskets still to plant that will be broccoli, butter leaf lettuce, and green beans. Everything but the veggies are planted and seeding, and I plan on finishing them in my coconut fiber planters tomorrow that I can hang outside. I LOVE coconut fiber, because as long as you don't over-water things, it will hold in the liquid and still allow proper drainage without soaking through or letting pieces of soil drop through. All the same, until I'm used to using the coconut fiber as a basket instead of a planting medium (the herbs are in peat, the veggies will be in organic potting soil, and the strawberries are in coconut fiber), I'm going to be hanging them outside where I can keep an eye on them. I wanted to hang them off of our deck, but that just isn't an option, unfortunately.

Also, we seem to have some sort of plants coming up in our front yard and around our house! Pictures later, as they look like tulips to me, but based on leaves alone I can't identify things for the life of me. Maybe one of you talented, knowledgeable peoples can help me out.

Weather here has been in the 70s today and that should hold out with plenty of sun through the weekend, when it'll crawl into the 80s. I could not be happier! This is amazing. We might take G to a local park that has water jets at it. Free, fun, and it gets us all outside. That's the best part of spring.

And speaking of G, he celebrated his 3rd birthday on Sunday. His actual birthday was Monday, but Sunday was free for most everybody. He made a good haul - a lot of books, a LeapFrog Jr. and books with it, and a lot of Nick Jr. toys. He adores that station and the online games that come with it, and I don't mind much. Other than the fact that it means he spends a lot of time on the computer (we don't have cable), it's cute, and educational - and let's face it, I couldn't teach him Mandarin like Kai-Lan does. We had his well-child checkup today - no shots - and he's in the 93rd percentile overall, 73rd in height (or so) and 95th in weight (or so). He's so smart.

Meanwhile, A is now mobile. He figured out crawling (although he's still very slow) and cruising at the same time. All that and he still has no teeth. It's amazing sometimes, and at other times it's scary that he's this big, this old, and still has no teeth. Today is organic baby food day, because I feel too lazy to get something ready for him. I might steam some carrots later to give myself something to do. I really want to plant more but I'd have to do so outside, and C is off trying to find a new job while G is napping in our room.

I just love planting. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Is that what I get for being born on Earth Day? Has anybody else started indoor planting yet? If so, what are you working on?

OH YEAH. We got our new washer! WOOHOO! I can go back to cloth at home!