Allium, peonies & roses

Enjoy these recent blooms from our backyard...

Here we go again!

Ricardo told me I shouldn't "get carried away" with gardening again this year. Sorry, hon'... over the last week or so I planted:

1 jalepeno

3 tomatillos

6 begonias

11 tomatoes

12 marigolds

16 petunias

36 imatiens

and over 40 heads of lettuce.

Ooops!

Spring garden tours

This past weekend I took some friends to the White House Spring Garden Tour. It was a perfect spring day -- sunny & breezy. I hadn't been on a garden tour for years, but I have to say this is my favorite tour. The grounds are gorgeous, and I just love the architecture of the South Portico. I didn't take too many photos, but here are a few highlights...

Jen in front of the south fountain... one of my favorite spots.

Corner facade of the White House.

Rose garden as seen through the trees.

Jen at the famous kitchen garden. I wish I had that much space!

And the bee hive.

How here's a tour of MY spring garden...

Lots of color -- I planted all types of tulips and daffodils (close-ups below).

Happy spring!

Afghan completed!

I love finishing projects, and was thrilled to complete my big winter project, the wagon wheel afghan.

I was so happy that it came out the size I wanted -- it fits perfectly on the top of our bed. (I guess I'm not so bad at math, after all.)

Of course now that it's 90 degrees in Washington, I don't have much use for a wool afghan, but it's stored away safely for next year... away from kittie cat paws.

First spring blooms

After our long, hard winter I wasn't sure when my bulbs would bloom.

I was amazed that the first crocus bloomed only 1 day later than last year.

A few days later there were more blooms...

...even the rainy weather couldn't keep these flowers from sprouting. (Bonnie-cat insisted on having her paws in the shot.)

Winter projects

This year for Christmas I made Ricardo his first hand-knit sweater. He asked for one years ago, but I refused, citing the sweater curse. Anyway, now that we've been married for three years, I felt it was safe to finally knit it. It was a clandestine operation... I knit on my days off and at night before he got home from work, stuffing it under a blanket when I heard him unlocking the door. Anyway, I'm happy to report he was thoroughly surprised.

Here's the finished product.

A close-up of the yoke.

Another close-up. There are 5 different colored yarns used.

I had a bunch of left-over yarn from the sweater, so I decided to make an afghan. I found a pattern I liked, and got started making these crochet "wagon wheels."

Charlotte gets her first whiff of wet wool. (All cats seem to love the smell of wet wool... it smells like sheep.)

At first I thought I'd make a small afghan, but then the blizzard hit, and I got the idea to make a blanket big enough to cover our queen-size bed. I have a ton of yarn in my stash (you really don't want to know how much), so this won't be a problem.

Charlotte inspects the new batch.

Now that I have over a hundred of these suckers made, I'm getting close to the amount I need. I figure by the time I finish sewing them all together it will be 70 degrees outside and I won't need a wool afghan... but I'll be ready for next winter!

Winter wonderland? I think not.

I remember when I was a kid, and later when I lived in New Hampshire, snow was so pretty. And sometimes here in D.C., it can be pretty... for about an hour or so before it turns brown. We had one of these "winter wonderland" snowfalls about a week before our blizzards. On the walk to work I couldn't resist snapping photos in Lafayette Park.

Let's look at the differences between a nice snowfall of a few inches, and a not-so-nice blizzard.

BEFORE: It's 7 a.m., there's no one around, and everything looks so picturesque. Another bonus: the Park Service had even shoveled.

AFTER: I returned to work to face this scene. Now I know I've been off for 11 days, but I seem to remember that magnolia tree being much bigger. Also, I didn't appreciate having to climb over a snowbank to get into the park.

Sure enough, the magnolia lost half its limbs. Not so pretty now, is it?

BEFORE: The White House, looking so snowy.

AFTER: It looks kinda depressing now.

BEFORE: A big 'ol pretty tree, covered in snow.

AFTER: The same big 'ol tree, with a bunch of downed limbs.

BEFORE: Isn't it amazing how the snow sticks to each and every branch?

AFTER: Lots of those branches are now laying in the snow.

While I'm on a rant, another thing that's not so pretty? No trash pick-up in the city for 2 weeks.

A very long 2 weeks.

How do you save your spot?

With our alleys snowed in, us D.C. residents have no option but to park on the streets. After spending hours shoveling out our cars, no one wants to lose the spot in front of their house. Personally, I've elected to simply stop driving and walk to the Takoma farmers market, the library, and Safeway. (Besides, I really need the exercise after a week of sitting on the couch.) Here are some of the creative ways we're saving our spots.

The classic: the plastic chair.

Wicker chair.

Stool and a beer box.

Rocking chair.

Chair and a table.

Stepstool.

Plant, bucket, and folding chair.

Broken upside-down chair.

Cafe table and chairs (perhaps my favorite).

Recycling containers (you don't need them since the city stopped picking up recycling).

Some sort of wooden structure.

Buckets and a 2 x 4.

Diapers boxes.

Little kid chairs.

Chairs neatly spaced.

Cone.

Folding chairs.

Pieces of wood.

Or, you could just wait for the snow to melt.

This guy might be waiting until May.

This guy has the best idea... a tiny car!