good morning!

*Sigh of content*

Oh brother, do i feel better on my "Strong Medicine"!  When i allow myself the treat of rice, wine, cheese, potatoes, etc., my senses may enjoy the indulgence but my body starts to rebel, and communicates its displeasure in various unpleasant ways.  It's just like a small child pushing boundaries:  has fun for a little while, but ultimately relieved when discipline is reasserted!

I got to bed and to sleep with excellent timing last night, and to my delight and surprise, i felt like taking the prescribed morning walk shortly after awakening to the alarm.  Spense and i had a good "constitutional," then i had a patty of the delicious ground pastured pork that's grown in the area (he enjoyed licking the plate when i was done) with a cup of coffee.  I could use a second cup, but will settle for water -- without lime, because we're fresh out of it.  Perfect:  but i'll stop blowing my own horn, now.  ;-)

For some reason, it's pure joy getting up early and being outside in the morning, in the springtime!  I remember feeling the same way as a kid; i have a specific picture of being outside early in the morning, climbing up a neighbor's jungle-gym and just enjoying being alone, taking in the balmy summer morning.  This vision reminds me -- i need to plant some four-o'clocks!

My tomato and bell-pepper seedlings are doing splendidly; i thinned them today.  They're both from saved seed, and i hope the pepper does as well as the tomato did last year -- the latter was a volunteer (my thanks to the bird or squirrel who "planted" it for me) from the PREVIOUS year's planting....  At frost, i brought in all the green fruits, even the smallest, to ripen on the window-sill -- and the greenest stayed there all winter, till i was ready to plant!  Obviously "meant to be"!

Today i'll put the rest of my bedding plants in their summer homes:  red and white begonias in their front-porch pots (north), and impatiens in the ground by the garage.  Last year's plantings (sunchokes and garlic) are growing nicely, and the rhubarb is hearty -- planted THAT two years ago, and with any luck i'll get to harvest some this year.  Still need to buy more plants, for the urn on the west porch and that southern window-box....

"And isn't it a LOOOOVELY morning?"  ;-)