Work has begun on the new peony garden. Some of you might remember last spring, in a desperate effort to find more garden to plant, I dug up what I thought was a shallow bed of Bearded Iris, only to find an actual garden bed full of soil. The bed has been dug out now and the iris transplanted about the garden as well as shared among friends.

Today I divided most of my peony and planted 17 plants in the new bed. There are white as well as a variety of pink shades. The plan is to intersperse a few blue ground covers amongst them tomorrow as well as some of the Bearded Iris. Then I just have to cross my fingers and wait til June to see if my vision worked. In two or three years they should all be well settled into their new home and happy.

We try to limit trips to town over the winter to once per month and we have the supplies (wine) to support that plan, but veggies are always a struggle. Frozen pasta sauce full of veggies is a staple, but today I planted winter kale, swiss chard and lettuce to augment the menu a bit.

I am proud to tell you that we had lazy cabbage rolls for dinner tonight. (Layer the sliced cabbage instead of rolling it) Normally this would be nothing to brag about but for the first time, this year, I grew cabbage successfully. So tonight’s casserole was made with my tomatoes, my garlic and my cabbage. All started by seed grown by me, the once city girl.

Walking down the driveway to the house, after my chores were done in the garden, there was the unmistakable sound of a whale in front of the deck. One lone humpback passing by. The photos aren’t exciting but prove

he was here