Thoughts of spring

On Monday, I've someone from a local greenhouse/garden center coming to give me an estimate on replacing the brick border around the front flowerbed. There are a few challenges...the current border is only about six inches high, but cannot be raised any higher, since the outdoor faucet is on the house at the back of the bed, only an additional six inches or so above the ground. I've looked online at some bricks/pavers/edgings, and honestly, have not found much that appeals. Hopefully, this guy will have more resources.

They will most likely want to provide plantings as well - my efforts last year look rather sad this spring. I think one of the three bushes will make it, while the other two are on the fence. I've no objection to purchasing the plants from them, as well as having them plant them. I can, however, cut some costs by putting down the soaker hose and doing the mulching myself.

At long last I've come up with a solution for the garden hose as well (because of the way the units are built, most of the neighbors have a leader hose running from the faucet to a hose box or reel that sits right in front of the gate to the patio - kind of silly, if you ask me). There are some very pretty hose stands available that I can put in the back corner of the bed. I only need twenty-five feet of hose, which will coil around it very neatly.

Since winters here are just Too Darn Cold for perennials to survive in urns unless said urns are brought inside for the season, the giant outside urns will be filled with annuals. I gave it a try with perennials, but I'm too indifferent a gardener for them to have a fighting chance.

It is still too early to actually plant anything here in the land of Too Darn Cold. The local weatherperson posted a picture on Twitter of the seven day forecast for their sister station in Orlando. Our daytime highs will not reach their current nighttime lows for almost another month. My heat still comes on regularly. Usually, it's completely turned off by now. The sun doesn't set until almost 8 p.m., but if you want to sit outside enjoying the light, you will need warm shoes, your winter coat, a stadium blanket and maybe mittens. Not to mention hot chocolate rather than a cold brew.

It may well be too chilly the week of Memorial Day for the annual tuning up of the air conditioning.

Global warming my frozen butt.

Signs of spring are there if you look closely: grass greening up nicely, leaf buds on trees, geese meandering down the condo complex entrance road... With a bit of luck, we will have a least a day or two of "spring" before Ma Nature flips the switch from Too Darn Cold to Hot, Humid and Hazy.

We can hope, anyway.