And so it begins...

Yup. These are seed packets. Sure, I can't start them indoors for another 7-8 weeks, but I can sure start collecting them now. And dreaming. I'm trying lettuce this spring. I'm coveting zinnia and cosmo varieties. I'm feeling so very deprived right now.

I walked around in the garden yesterday to check on things. I have not been out there in months. I was so filled with enthusiasm it was overwhelming. As of right now, all of my roses are still okay! This may be the very first year I don't lose a single rose to winter! I would throw a party, I swear it! I might dance outside. Granted, the big chill is coming, and our high on Saturday is 0 (that is Fharenheit people, as in 32 below freezing!), but if winter ended today all my roses would come back; even the rescued varieties I picked up on clearance and planted too late. Stunning. So, to prevent loss in the ensueing weather pattern I covered them up even more. I grabbed leaves from those perrenials that don't need cover (the zone 3er's) and put it on the roses. I also then padded the leaves down with fallen brances from my willows. I wish I had more to cover them with (they already had a nice covering of mulch).

Just FYI: It's easy to tell if roses are alive or dead by looking at the color of the branchs. A totally dormant rose maintains color in its stems; the color varies extremely per variety, as in my Morden Centennial with literally bright red branchs and cherry-like rose hips, to the dark green of the Kordes Perfecta. A dead branch is dark black, lifeless, and by spring usually dry. It is usual for roses to have some dead areas toward the end of the branches after a harsh zone 5 winter, but as of now, only two of my roses have even dead tips. I am so thrilled. I feel revitalized after touring the garden. I feel so anxious for gardening that I contemplated living somewhere the garden season doesn't end. I got over that idea real quick, I love the 4 seasons and snow too much. But, not as much I LOVE gardening.

For now, the seeds and sketches of wear to put the seeds will have to do.

Oh, and that pump of vitality I got from walking in the garden yielded serious results. Sunday afternoon, I took apart the whole vacuum and deep cleaned it, I washed the sofa and chair deep, and scrubbed both dogs to the bone. Yeah, baby.