Spring Fever

Wahoo! Today it is warming up here in the cowboy state with a high in my quaint village of 55 degrees. While peeling carrots and potatoes to accompany our traditional Sunday pot roast (my husband is a "meat and potatoes" guy), my mind wandered to the garden, with budding thoughts about what to plant this year. Carrots, of course, with several varieties of tomatoes are two of my favorites because they taste so good, they are loaded with antioxidants, and easy to grow. I will plant all kinds of lettuce, and some spinach too, for an abundance of salad-fixings. Ah, yes - asparagus and rhubarb - they thrive in our loamy soil and unpredictable climate with parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, basil, cilantro, garlic, and anything else that I can get to sprout to maturity here in our stubborn soil, at altitude. I have not tried to grow melons or strawberries before, so I must experiment with those sweet, succulent summer fruits to gratify my palate and reward the hard work.

Since we purchased the neighbor's pasture that adjoins our property, I'm ecstatic about having a bigger plot to plant on this year! So I will be trying to grow a few additional veggies, fruits, and herbs that I haven't planted in the past, due to limited space and my lack of knowledge on this seasonal subject. As a neophyte gardener, I will be relying on some advice from a good friend who has earned the title of "Master Gardener." Hopefully, her expertise will improve my not-so-green thumb. Failure is not an option!

Wyomingites have a short growing season, and I learned the sad way not to plant anything until after Mother's Day, when the risk of a late spring frost has passed. So for now, I must endure my yearning for warmer days, and the slow passing of a very long, frigid winter. The harmonious sound of birds singing this morning was music for my soul, and a symphonic signal that spring is nearly here! Soon it will be time to till, plant, weed, and water the garden - a labor of love for the savory harvest. And note that as summer approaches, I will be featuring some favorite warm-weather salad recipes on my recipes site.

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes you heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain