Welcome Spring!

My mother pointed out today that my garlic has come up in the front flower bed. I am so excited! I had completely forgotten that I planted it there last fall before we left for Africa. Yet, there they stand, straight and tall like sentries, 12 little garlic stalks against the wall. What we'll ever do with 12 bulbs of garlic I have no idea. I cook with a lot of garlic, but not quite that much! That's enough to last us nearly all year, and we're only planning on being here 6 more months. :) I'll have to find someone to share with.

The sighting of the garlic reminded me of the other seeds I dried last year in anticipation of this spring. I guess I should have started them a few weeks ago, but better late than never. I'm trying something new and soaking my coriander seeds before planting. I just read about it and decided to give it a try, as it seems that half of my coriander seeds never sprout. Just rub the seeds between your fingers until the hull breaks, then cover in water and let sit for 24-48 hours. Then plant as normal - which I'm planning to do on Friday, with my basil seeds. I don't think we will plant much else this year, except maybe some tomatoes. No use canning and freezing for the winter, since we won't be here and we can't take it with us.

Today was sunny and beautiful, which was a welcome relief from the cold, windy, rainy weather we've been having. Spring tempted us with a few beautiful days, then switched back to winterlike tendencies. I, for one, am more than ready to pull out my flip-flops again - and I miss my freckles! This weekend is supposed to beautiful, which is going to make it awfully hard to stay inside and work like a good girl. :)