In spite of the fact that it is still Cold, things are progressing in the garden. Above, the Sweet William, planted last summer as it is a biennial, is beginning to show flower buds.
In the hoophouse, the greens are big enough to harvest tomorrow for market on Saturday. There was a cold wind blowing most of the day but when Joel and I went out this evening to plant beets it had stopped and it was almost warmish and there were bugs out, a sure sign that things have warmed up a bit. I also got a bed of little stock plants in the ground this afternoon. Stocks are one of my favorite flowers, I love the scent

First Lettuce Plants in the Ground

Joel planted out the first flat of little lettuce plants today in one of the hoophouses. Hopefully this will give us lettuce a couple of weeks before the outside planted ones (which haven't been planted yet).
These flats have 9 plants each of 15 varieties. We plant around 50 different lettuces each year. Partly for practical reasons, different reactions to bugs and weather, hope that customers will buy several heads if they are really different in looks and texture. But also because Joel loves lettuce and cannot resist trying that new one. Farming is hard work and you have to love it to do it. Part of what we love is learning about different plants and trying them out to see what they look and taste like.

First planting of 2008

We planted the garlic today. 400 cloves of Nootka Rose garlic saved from our last year's crop. It felt good to be getting the farming year off to a start. there was a bit of sun, the temperature was about 45 degrees and it f elt good to get a bit muddy and get our hands into the ground.

All three looms have tan and brown warps on them. The little Harrisville has a brown and tan boa, the big Oregon Trails a multi tan and brown rayon chenille warp, and the 8 harness Harrisville an organic cotton overshot warp for placemats and runners.

To relieve the color monotone I'm also working on a purple felted hat.

2008 is off to a great start. Siri was home for a few days from college in Brooklyn. She had a nasty cold and slept most of the time but I decided that that is one thing parents can do, be boring enough so a sick kid can just sleep and get well.

I sold my first item in my Etsy shop, a purple rag rug. I listed things in the middle of December, a bit late for Christmas, so didn't know how well it would work. I've gotten a lot of hits and this first sale is really exciting. And I just found out that my old library job at the Waldron Island one-room school will be opening up next fall and I think I will apply for it. I loved that job and hated leaving it when we moved to Friday Harbor for high school for Siri.