Spring has sprung!

Finally started weeding the garden this evening. I sharpened the mower, Dwight did the lawn, I weeded. OK, I started weeding. There's a lot of weeds. Little saplings of some sort. They *ALL* look exactly the same. Covering the vegetable patch. Arg... But I did manage to find some veggies coming up as well. Carrots, tomatoes, onions, lettuces and spinach, peas and beans, a few squash/melon/cucumber mounds, lots of unidentified herbs, beets, turnips, and garlic accounted for. The beans and peas were being snipped off by that damned gopher, but not as much lately. Maybe I won the battle? I think the war is far from over with that stubborn beast. Also some buds on the raspberry bushes, strawberry blossoms out, and leaves on the elderberry, cranberry, and paw paw seedlings from Soil and Water Conservation District. YEAH!!! We might have food this summer!

The local challenge is going well still. Found some PJ's for Ken, but no light fixture yet. Ken needs new socks, but I'll either wait and get some Maggie's from the Pharmacy or KNF, whichever has his size. Or just wait until June and order online- they're not local, but they are a small business that's very much worth supporting. I did have to break down and get new sandals from Arizona, but they're Piper sandals. The best sandals ever made. And I've talked with the owner multiple times, so I'm counting them as "local" in spirit. And you can't stop me.

Supplies for the field season are going to present a bit of a challenge, but I think doable. Found local rebar and mesh screen, using thrift stores for the barrier cloth, recycling for the tadpole tanks, and a lot of Kent Hardware trips. Still have to locate a local sporting goods store for seine net and new waders, and other field stuff can wait until June for BioQuip. All in all, it's been fun.

Speaking of fun, this is the weekend of Nelsonville Music Festival, featuring Willie Nelson this year! Camping in Hocking area, good music, good friends, and good food (taken with us or local to Athens). What more could one ask for in a weekend? Oh, yeah, not overlapping with Jenn's graduation party. Hi Jenn! Oops.

Well, y'all have a great weekend, and I'll report back with news of the weekend (and pictures- no trip is complete without hiking, although I might take the GPS with me this time) later on. Belly Dancing at Empire starts Sunday afternoon, so I have to be back by then. Take care!