It is a beautiful day here today. It’s hard to believe that it was snowing three days ago. It is almost 80 today.

I let Spirit and Rosie out in the pasture. Prize had to go out on a lead rope because she’s bad. I can’t figure out why the middle wire of the fence isn’t carrying electric but until it does she feels free to march through it and onto the neighbor’s lawn. I only let them out for a few minutes because all the rain and snow in the past few days as led to a grass growth spurt. I don’t want them colicing on me. That made them all really mad that they had to come in so soon.

Then I went and hung out with my plants. Snowball came out and we laid on the hammock. Actually, we laid where the hammock is in the master garden design in my head. I read a series of books once about a group that genetically engineered people to not have to sleep. At one point they also made humans that fed by getting naked and lying in mud to absorb their nutrients directly through their skin. That’s what today reminded me of. I was laying on the grass (fully clothed) and soaking up the sunlight and smells of spring.

I also did some cleaning out of my poor neglected beds. I think I have a plan for this year. Instead of buying whatever plants that I see and decide that I have to have, I am only buying shrubs and trees. I’m still working on building the framework of the garden so that’s what I need most. It is also what I enjoy most. I’m also going to add compost and mulch like crazy. Hopefully that will suppress a lot of the weeds.

I really need to plant a windbreak. That will be a huge undertaking. But the winter winds are so strong here that they tend to rip pieces off the house. I know that the windbreak won’t help for a decade or two but I have to at least get it started. From what I’m reading I may need to back it up from where I was planning on putting it. That would put it in the middle of a field. That won’t work. Not only is that eventually going to be pasture but we’ve rented out that field for planting this year. I don’t think they’d appreciate us saying, “Look out for the baby trees smack in the middle of the field!” I guess I have to go out and measure the distance from the house.