« February 2023 | Main | April 2023 »
I have to say, after my first class series of beginning hand building with clay, I'm pretty stoked! Sure, the work is rather crude, but the results still please me.
I brought my leftover clay home so I can build a few more pieces. Visarts offers the option to bring in work for firing and glazing (for a fee), so I'll still be able to finish pieces off.
I think I'm pushing myself a bit. There's a lot to do in the garden and I've been going at it. Consequently, I'm dealing with a bit of pain and discomfort today. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this gorgeous weather. More seeds were planted indoors, Avery got a good long walk, and I ran a couple errands this afternoon. I've been wanting to fix a lentil mushroom melange to have on top of buckwheat groats, so that's what's for dinner...I still need to cook some greens. For now, I'm having an oatmeal stout...on the lower end as far as alcohol content and it just tastes nutritious to me.
Hard to believe a week ago I was in Florida! I spent the day here in Richmond, once again out in the garden. Plants are waking up and much compost was spread. It's amazing how quickly growth happens once it starts.
That being said, tomorrow is supposed to usher in a stretch of colder than normal temps. But it doesn't look like they're that much colder than normal. There may be random frosts. My gut tells me that we won't see anything extreme (but what does my gut know??). I'm embracing spring.
...but back in Florida...
It was a pretty terrific day to work in the garden!
Although my brother and sister-in-law have downsized their home, John makes very effective use of the space he has to garden. Multiple fruit trees dot the perimeter of the house. With a couple varieties of avocados, three or four varieties of mango, banana plants and more tropicals, it's terribly impressive. I've come back home to think about maximizing the space I have to garden (taking into consideration the shade).
It was fun to see what grows in a tropical climate. Tomatoes ripening in February? Cool! Everything was quite lush, even though there are a few deciduous trees around, just coming into leaf again. While I know I'll never be able to grow them to fruiting, I'm going to experiment starting some papaya plants with seeds from one I bought. Seeing other people's gardens is always inspiring to me.
Yesterday I topped up the container beds with compost. The rest of the compost waits to be placed around all the fruiting plants and perennials. Today is rainy, but the weekend looks to be quite lovely. I know what I'll be doing. In the meantime, I believe today will be good for getting some seeds starting inside.
I didn't realize just how many mango trees grow around southern Florida. They seem to be everywhere. My brother is growing three or four varieties around his house. We went to a mango grove where the trees are also for sale. The whole grove was in bloom!
I had a wonderful visit with family in Florida. It was my first time to the state. The weather kept confusing me, though, with several times me forgetting it was still winter! My brother did a good job showing me around the natural environment, as well as the communities in the south end of this state. We did a lot of walking!
Today, I thought I'd get more done than I did. My flight didn't get in to Richmond until after 12:30am and I wasn't in bed until around 2am. Of course, I woke up at the usual time! I did get a nap in this afternoon. Tomorrow will hopefully be more productive!