Today we woke up to everything covered in a quarter inch of ice. The landscape's beautiful, but the trees, shrubs and plants are bent down, almost to the ground. It's a dangerous, beautiful time for them, and I hope that it thaws out before real damage occurs.

The Garden

I start the Masters Gardener program tomorrow and I am so excited! It's been a goal of mine for so long, but because I had to work, I was unable to take the classes. Getting laid off is sometimes a blessing in disguise, and I'm grateful to be able to use it as an opportunity for growth. I realize that many others do not have such a luxery, and I do not take this lightly.

I am starting to plan out this years garden. We are going to concentrate on edibles (fruits and veggies) and are working towards edible landscaping our small suburban lot. We are "suburban homesteaders", and what a fun and challanging thing this is. I would urge everyone to start thinking about how they can increase their self-reliance by growing even a little of their own food.

Knitting

I just finished knitting my first pair of socks. It was very exciting to be able to create something I could actually wear. I'm now hard at work on a second pair. I need to iron out the mistakes before I start using the beautiful yarn my DH bought me. Can't wait!

These are my ramblings on the things that I enjoy in life--gardening, family, pets, knitting, reading, music, and giving people the benefit of my common sense advice!