Time Flies!

I spent the whole first part of January sick.  Bleh.  I'm finally feeling like a normal human being (even considering the fact that Tigger is sobbing due to having to do his morning routine-how that's different from any other day I don't know but there you have it).

This was the month that we started our drama class again.  We are doing a much shorter drama this year (thank heavens!) and so the pressure isn't as great for the instructors or the kids.  Our performance will be in May.

This past Friday we had one of our new science classes.  This year our co-op is doing 5 nature/science classes.  So far the response has been great.  I instructed this class and will try to do a post soon on how I put it together-links included.

It's citrus season around here so I am trying my hand at preserving it in different ways.  I've done some lemon curd (which prompted cooking macaroons too--gotta use those eggwhites ya know!), lemonade and marmalade.  Since I enjoyed the lemon curd so much, I will be making more.  I made 30 jars of marmalade so far but will do more as I would like to gift some of them.

In gardening news (yes, there is still gardening going on around here), I have all my patio plants in my little greenhouse.  I managed to snag two dwarf citrus trees off the clearance rack at Lowe's at the end of the season-$7 each.  Woo Hoo!  So far they are both staying alive.  The Kumquat is doing ok but the little clementine tree is loaded with flowers.  I'm using blossom set spray on them hoping that I'll get some nice fruit.  I have about 16 grape tomato plants in there too--baby ones.  Ummm, more seed sprouted than what I expected.  I managed to start about 4-5 cilantro plants and I just repotted those on Saturday.  I also put out my broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower seeds into their little containers for 'Winter Seed Sowing'.  Hopefully, that will work out.  I still have different greens growing in the garden--mustard, collards, kale.  They are under 1 light row cover--it's all I had at the time.  Thankfully our winter has been mild so far.  Today The King is putting together some trellises for me from free wood he's gathered.  I need to get more things vertical for space this coming season.  My seed stash has been replaced by an order from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company.  I love them and their beautiful catalogs!

A reminder of good growing to come!

Oh!  About that photo above, it's supposed to be my 'cottage garden'.  It went wild this past year.  I had overgrown everything-the echinacea was popping up everywhere as were the shasta daisies.  The irises had formed huge dense rhizome systems.  I stripped everything out-and I do mean everything except for my roses and my clematis plant (I did cut that back).  I had so many extra plants that I gave some away and if the others survive I may trying selling them this spring.  We will see....  Also, I'm really hoping the garden recovers this year to look nice--it won't look as lush but maybe, just maybe it will still be pretty?  Here's crossing my fingers!  I guess if worst comes to worst I can stick in a bunch of annuals until the other stuff fills out again.

That picket fence we put up in the spring to try to prevent the dogs from getting in there.  They were still getting in but I think with an adjustment, we are keeping them mostly out.  We will be fencing them off into a dog pen/run this coming year as I am expanding my gardening range and want to keep them out of my beds.

Ok.  Enough for today.  Hope you all are doing well!