Tuesday, April 14, 2009

I Should Clean and Sort More Often

It's a wonder the treasures you can find when you clean and sort in an effort to get organized. Yesterday I was going through a container of yarn that was packed away in our attic/loft area. There, tucked in with miscellaneous skeins of yarn, was this summer shell I knit for myself a couple of years ago. Why, and how the heck, did it end up in there? I had completely forgotten about it. It was all finished except for needing a small crocheted edging around the armholes and neckline. I took it with me when I went to a get-together of friends later in the day and lickety-split, it was done. The yarn is Jakobsdals Fidji, 55% cotton, 45% acrylic. The nubby texture of the yarn gives the top an interesting look I really like.





Now I'm anxious to wear it . . . that is if the weather ever gets to "tank top" wearing temperatures. Our high this afternoon was 50 degrees (woo-hoo!) and that was even without any noticeable sunshine. But more and more snow is melting even without the benefit of the sun shining on it. Although there's still plenty of the stuff out there, it is melting. I think that's everybody's mantra these days . . . the snow is melting, the snow is melting, the snow IS melting. Below is a shot of my pumpkin patch . . . free of snow! (This probably looks like the dumbest picture in the world to anyone except for a gardener -- that would be me -- who is over-anxious to get her fingers in some warm dirt.)





Hopefully, really soon I'll be able to be doing some cleaning and organizing outside. Winter debris to rake off the yard and out of flower beds. It'll feel pretty darn good to be doing it, too.



4 comments:

MaineCelt said...

Oh, that picture doesn't look dumb at all to ME! I completely appreciate the snow-free, rich brown glory of it.
The Piper and I have been walking the property with our dog each morning, looking for signs of life and planning together. Yesterday, we found that the two Artic Kiwi vines we planted last year have survived, as have the three mystic meidiland (sp?) roses. Hooray!

Mama Pea said...

MaineCelt - Well, that cinches it! I haven't looked for any signs of growth for several days but now I HAVE to get out there and check everything again.

Your own kiwi?? Wouldn't that be WONDERFUL! (My better half has a problem consuming food that comes from as far away as Australia!)

MaineCelt said...

Yes, look for the "Arctic" or "Kolomicta" (sp?) varieties. They're cold-hardy at least to zone 4, and they might do fine in zone 3 with some mulch over the winter. (I lost my first set during an open winter a few years ago, but I didn't mulch them well enough.) There was a big article in the Maine Organic Farmers' newsletter one or two issues ago about growing kiwis in Maine, so several folks have already had some proven success. I've gotten them from two sources: Fedco trees (Maine) and Raintree Nursery (Washington State--it's owned by my Godfather, so he's sent me a few plants now and then for the purpose of "northern field trials.")

Mama Pea said...

Thanks, MaineCelt! Very interesting . . . we'll look into these two varieties and will be eager to hear how yours do this year.

Thanks for sharing!