Spring and Recipes for Compost

Belated Happy St. Patrick's Day. I have been too sick to enjoy one of my favorite holidays. I didn't even get corned beef, or to wear my fancy sweater. I did put little shamrocks on my garage windows, something I'm doing for each holiday. I find cut outs or gel decorations, and put them on. It shows with our lights.

Felt a little better and started getting out lawn furniture. I fixed the gnome village and gnome doors and window to my oak tree. This helped. Then, I had to sit down

My daffodills are out, and crocusses so purple that it looked as if it had hailed amethysts all over the yards. I saw some snow drops, too. The hyacinths are out, and I can't wait to see my tulips. The forsythia is gorgeious this year as well. Looking forward to the local lawn and garden show this weekend, and hope to feel better. The Cancer Society Daffodills are here, and I love looking at them and knowing they are for a worthy cause.

Am interested to hear from anyone starting a rain barrell or compost heap. I am mulching some fallen pine branches and would like to use egg shells and coffee grounds again. My neighbor and I plan to use black flowers along our slope; we have Hollyhocks, and I plan to use violae and petunias again. I'm also experimenting with volunteer pumpkins.

I recommend Plow and Hearth for fancy rain barrells; love to paint these things as well. Also, Cabinets of Curiosities for those who want to learn the origins of museums and museums of Natural History, especially. Won a grant of an aquarium, and I can't wait to go. My first shell collection started with a small display from an acquarium, bought for me by my mom when I was five.

Also interested in homeopathic remedies for arthritis; my hand is still very bad, hence more typos than usual. Spring is tomorrow, all hail! Head for the seed catalogs, and nurseries, the violets are on their way!