spring arrives!

Inspiring me today, as we approach Easter weekend. Flickr favorites, click for sources:

Flowery edgers for digital scrapbook layouts:


Perseverence (photo by me):


Easter morning excitement:

And amazing love:

composting

super bowl tulip watches the sun set, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Last night we went for a walk and then watched the sun set from the front porch. JT is eating up the views of the neighborhood and swinging at the park. I snapped this pic of one of the tulips while we were out there.

This morning when the sun came out briefly in between rains, JT and I went to the nursery and bought a few plants. Mainly I wanted to fill in some bare spots with more candytuft and dianthus. But while I was there, I picked up a couple other things for a little spot where I previously had mums.

Now I am out there weeding and preening the flower beds. I just spent an hour digging the weeds out of the bed under the redbud tree and planting the new things.

My compost bin has been a bit neglected over the past year. I was afraid I had ruined it. I know - how can one "ruin" compost?! But I was afraid maybe it got too dry last summer. I did some digging in the bin this morning and found a treasure trove of good stuff! I dug to the bottom and got some material to fortify the soil where I planted my new stuff. (I'll have to get some pictures and post what I got... can't remember the names of it all right now.)

Have I mentioned how easy composting is? Here it is in 5 simplified steps:

1. Drill drainage holes in the bottom of a large, lidded trash can.
2. Put some soil in the bottom. This should be some rich soil that likely has the bacteria you'll need to start making compost.
3. Throw in a layer of dry stuff (carbon matter like dried leaves)
4. Throw in a layer of moist stuff (grass clippings, fruit peels, egg shells, vegetable stems, etc.) [REPEAT steps 3 & 4]
5. Water the heap and stir sometimes.

Oh sure, there is some more to it... I'll probably have to do another post on it sometime. Until then, here is a list of resources from the library if you're interested in finding out more.

I think the rain might have stopped altogether... I'm heading back out!