M.K.Duke

The days are getting longer, the hills are greener and my garden tools are getting anxious to get growing!  I was told that once there is no longer any snow on the Ochre Mountains (that is the name of the range to the West of SLC) then you can begin to plant your garden without fear of frost.   We might have one more snow day ahead of us but man it feels and looks like spring around here!  Taking inventory of the yard I found a giant Mullein plant which is a desert thriving, drought loving easy to care for garden treat, it will likely bloom next year which will be cool since it shoots up a stalk that can reach a height of 10 feet!

My chard seedlings are coming along…

I planted a few pansies and they have held strong through three snowfalls yet again proving they are tougher than their namesake…

a few more tulips are popping up late to the scene…

I planted some calla lilies along the driveway strip that we cleared out last summer, I am still working on that area so no pictures yet but I will be looking forward to my sorbet assortment of callas to pop up in the late spring/early summer.  Jason and I had some friends over for a bbq yesterday after yard work and a long bike ride.  I was in the mood for pie so I tried out Jason’s Great Grandmother Atwood’s no fail crust recipe (thank you Kathy for the recipe cards in my Christmas stocking!) it turned out great!  I was really hoping for peach pie but those aren’t in season yet so I went for apple instead…

I have been having pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it kept me going on my long and ridiculously busy 12+ hour shift today.  I am hoping that I will have time to work on the Nook painting project Thursday so long as I am not totally exhausted after working for three days in a row, ugg.  Anyway, I know I shouldn’t complain, so I have been chanting to myself in the morning when I wake up for work “I love my job, I love having a job, I am good at what I do” and this makes me feel better at least for a little while :)  I have been looking into internships to advance my nursing career and of course the NP program at University of Portland is on my tentative plans for when we move back to Oregon.  time to go have some pie, happy spring everyone!