Spring is in the air

      My garden seeds arrived this week!  The garden beckons  on these snowy March days.  I'm always anxious to get back outside digging in the dirt, but this year the need seems unusually urgent.  Maybe it is the mile high snow drifts we've been looking at since December.  It's hard to believe they will be gone in a few weeks and bright green grass will sprout overnight.
     A YELLOW HOUSE  gardens are its most charming feature.  I could rent the house out, or (shudder) even sell it, if it weren't for the gardens.  When I first purchased the house I didn't envision living in it for a few more years, but I wanted the gardens ready  when I was.  So I put countless hours and every cent I could spare into improving the soil, building raised beds, buying shrubs and perennials. 
      My neighbor, Dave Tripplett commented once, "You better not ever move to Alaska."  When I asked why he said that, he answered, "Because you don't leave the garden until it's pitch dark and in the summer it never gets dark in Alaska!"
       Life has a way of happening while we are making other plans, and my plans to live out my life in my precious house were waylaid by my husband's unwillingness to settle in there.  So now we live 8 blocks to the south in a perfectly lovely house.  It also has lovely gardens.  So what does that make me?  It makes me a double duty gardener.   Where is the unlimited Alaskan sun when I need it?
     You might have noticed I am not scheduling  art classes after April 1 until summer is over.  That doesn't mean I won't do any.  What it does mean is that I will schedule a class for 4 or more any time at your convenience, but you'll have to visit me in my garden to talk about it.  Of course, I will answer phone messages (320-523-4162) and e-mails (gingearl@yahoo.com) , and I might even hit the house now and then when I get really  hungry.  And you might find me painting the flowers after I have planted the flowers.
      Come join me in some plein aire painting!  We can set up shop on the picnic table.  Even if I don't plant another thing, my garden lavishly re-seeds itself!    The volunteer sun flowers and morning glories are, well, glorious!  

      We're still eating like royalty from last year's bounty.  Raspberries, blackberries, green beans, to name a few favorites.   Just today I made dried green tomato pesto (fabulous) and raspberry shortcake.  Just so you know spring will surly come again, I'll include a photo of last year's garden.  Happy spring!