Spring Back Ache!

Oh to have the first spring back ache!! For me that means that I sent most of the first day of spring break outside cleaning the flower beds and garden areas. Hauling the left overs from winter out to the junk and clearing a new area for more beds. I hoed, raked and moved the dirt to prepare for planting and then planted the first part of what I have. I just love getting a jump on things. Of course I know that the weather man has the final say in my gardening, but I hope to have some fresh produce coming from the ground soon. I planted snap peas, lettuce and spinach all in one raised bed. Then added 2 new raspberry plants to the others from last year that are coming out. And planted 20 potatoes in the 4 big tractor tire rasied beds. I managed to complain enough until Derek get out of the basement and off the laptop to build me a new rasied bed that is long enough to hold the old glass patio doors from last year. They were pivotal in protecting my long bed of tomatoes and peppers last year and this year they have their own bed where I will plant the seedlings from the house. The longest bed where the doors were last year is now the berry patch with raspberry and blackberries coming up there. I have tomatoes and peppers about 6 inches tall that can go out. I won't plant all of them since there isn't enough space in that new bed and the question of the weather is still a concern. So, some will go out early and the rest will get the window seat in the house for a while longer. I have snap peas and Okra about 4 inches tall that can out in a different raised bed area with the protection of some old windows that we collected on trash day last year. They make wonderful small green houses to keep the evening chill off the new young plants. I will remove them on the warmer days and replace them for the cool nights for the next few weeks. Actually now, my back is aching to get back out there and see the rest of the plans implemented. Derek and I will deliver the kids to the church at 9:30 for their mission trip to St. Louis, then we are off to the tire place to get more tires, back home to drop them off and then to the garden center for a couple loads of dirt to fill the new bed and the tires to the expansion to the garden today. I still have to get the Canna bulbs out from the basement and make some holes for them. O>K>> off I go~ Let day two begin~

And to add: Casey has called this am. and there is yet again a new date for his R and R this month... He's got a phone service now and so he's called a few times to visit. I will believe that he's coming when I see the whites of his eyes.. or at least his phone number comes up as the actual number and not a blocked unidentified one from across the world~