Carpe Diem--trunc Presse Diem

I think that is latin for :seize the day then squeeze it.

I could be wrong but in any case..... the thought occurred to me yesterday as I did this very thing.

It started by being out in the back 2 watering all the fruit trees and admiring the recent growth on the raspberry vines (finally). I was beginning to be concerned but it is all due to the (very) (remarkably) early Spring we had this year that everything is out of whack.

I wanted to clean out the coop and spread the straw on the squash in the lower garden which is also finally beginning to show strength. All the tomatoes are going gangbusters and that is such a relief. The corn is struggling still and the black-eyed peas did nothing. Hmmmm so I think I will try my luck at a drying bean on that frame instead. Something like a pinto or such. I don't want to waste the effort of erecting the grow frame altogether...

So after the coop cleaning, I pulled half of the remaining carrots

and made room for our last 6 tomato plants which were waiting for space. Seeing then side by side with the ones I planted last month really shows the difference in sizes. I hope this will also provide a staggered harvest as well.

The peas are really coming in now but I think the ones that did germinate are not the English peas but the snow peas, of which you eat the pods rather than wait for actual peas...... oh well! So much for home-grown peas n carrots! I will try (harder) again next year to get it right.

So after all this, I fertilized everything with calcium and scraped weeds off and mulched. Before I knew it, it was 10:30..... So I went in and worked on an applique, Glory Garden.

Fuzzy. Well those are only a few of the blocks that go into the whole quilt.

On Friday, we drove across the lake to drop off 21 quilts which are destined for the GSQA quilt show in Slidell, LA. afterwards we had lunch at the Taj Mahal, an Indian buffet, which reminded me how much I enjoy eating ethnic foods. We made a pitstop at the International Market and I picked up some spice packets to make another Indian feast tonight. I intend to use the veg from the garden to whip up a nice variety of dishes.

Q has made progress on overcoming this licking fixation. The cream I have been applying to her ear has calmed her down to the extent that this morning, when Polo met her at the door, they touched noses and she let him walk past without turning into a hissing viper. She does sleep a

lot that this has me concerned.

I am off to Sam's this morning......

Doings Goings

I've been occupied at various endeavors lately and thus away from bloglife but I am indeed aware of its's existence and although I don't have much to say, I can report this much.

Farmlife: The crops are off to a dicey start. The corn looks so skimply and weak, it will be a miracle if we get an ear. The same is true about several squashes. I don't know what the dealio is but if something goo doesn't happen and soon, I might as well plow under the lower bed altogether!

Now in the raised beds, it's a different story. They are doing alright. Nothing to brag about but it's early days yet. The tomatoes really responded to the heavy rains we had last week. The English peas are finaly flowering and growing up the trellis. (yea) I lost all the new eggplant we seeded so I bought 6 little plants today from the Feed n Seed. All the lettuces are doing splendidly and we are eating our weight in salad. The avocado trees are hanging in and we have a few little fruits to show. The peach trees that were late to bloom have now done so except the last one. I can on;y hope it is still alive as we did lose a plum.

I have my fingers crossed that we will have peas and carrots ripe at the same time this year... that would be so cool.

Cats: Q has been licking herself hairless and it really started to show this week when I realized her back legs looks so scrawny. Well, there is no hair back there now so I took her to the vet in hopes it wasn't fleas. It wasn't and it shouldn't considering I use Advantage and Frontline. No, she has anxiety and stress and she shows it by constant grooming so now the little dear is on cat prozac.

Landscaping: It never ends. The lorepedlum had gone bonkers on the driveway so I whacked them all down to the nub. John took 6 of them away from the house which has cleared up a space for something smaller, like lilies of the nile and shasta daisies. The end result of the day's labour is my bicep is killing me right now and I don't recognize this pain.

Quilts: working on several tops all at once. Still have a backlog of quilting to do.

Happy and blessed Easter.