My First Vegetable!!

I officially have my first vegetable, and it's a radish!  Yes, I am truly this excited by a radish, even though, after tasting it, I realized I don't even particularly like them.  The request to grow them came from the boyfriend who likes to eat them raw with salt.  To each their own, I guess.  On the plus side, they were super easy to grow and ready to harvest in only about 28 days, which is the quickest by far of the vegetables I picked to try.                                        

As it turns out, growing veggies in containers works out pretty well.  So far at least.  I have a bit to wait for the rest of my goodies.  Only downside is a small yield, but I think that's just fine for a first timer like me.

My humble, potted vegetable garden:

I wanted to start small for my first attempt, so I just picked a few things to grow.  Jalapenos and radishes on the left, carrots in the middle, and green beans on the right.  Chicken wire has to go around everything in my endless battle against the squirrel demons.

I'm anxiously awaiting the rest of my vegetables to grow.  

Spring Flowers

My early spring flowers have long since faded, but I'm finally posting some pictures.  Better late than never, right?   Those bulbs I planted in containers last October, oh so long ago, actually turned out very nice.  I declare it a success!

Here's my crocuses.  Ignore the wire cages.  Squirrels are devils.  I had intended these to bloom with the hyacinths, but they flowered first and were done by the time their companions arrived.

Hyacinths!  Smell so good!  Definitely one of my favorites.

 Tulips of course.  Gotta have those.

So that's that.  Perhaps in the relatively near future, if you're lucky, I'll regale you with accounts of my venture into vegetable gardening.  I know it's exciting.  Try to keep your panties on.

Small Victory

   Today was somewhat of an odd day overall.  Lots of ups and downs at work, some mass confusion, ridiculous clients, frustrating cases, and random fits of laughter.  I did have one small victory though.  Some people brought their dog in for constant lip licking and mouthing at the air after coming in from  outside.  I removed a stick that was wedged across the roof of her mouth.  Piece of cake and instant gratification for all involved! A 30 second appointment was the best part of my day.  

    And that's really all I have to say.  I came home, took a short nap, and had a dinner of Captain Crunch (with crunch berries!), cookie dough, and popcorn (definitely not a foodie blog).  Since then, it's been tv and watching the boyfriend play his new South Park video game.  That's right folks, as I've been writing this, I've witnessed his player killing opponents with farts, rescuing Stan's dad from anal probing, and finding dildos in Cartman's mom's room.  Not to mention Kenny keeps getting eaten by rats.  Be jealous of my life.  

A Hope of Spring

    As I'm sure is the case with just about everybody else right now, I'm ready to be done with winter.  When you have other stresses and worries in your life, the cold and gray has a way of magnifying them even more.  Realistically, I understand I have fewer worries and less cold than a lot of people, but hey, it's my blog, so there you go.  ;)

    I've had a case at work that I've been struggling with for several weeks now.  It's a potentially treatable disease, but the owner's lack of compliance leaves me frustrated, sad, and worried for the life of their pet.  I'm not really sure where to go next if the necessary treatment isn't an option for them.  And I can't help but think about what I could've done differently.  I have a terrible time of not being forceful enough with owners and also feel that I struggle to explain things in enough depth.  I'm surprised I haven't developed stomach ulcers over this case.  

    Of much less consequence, but also on my mind, is the apparent failure of my winter gardening efforts.  Idea: beautiful tulips blooming after being forced indoors.

Reality: bulbs that have been the same height for 6 weeks.  

    Plus, I've been afraid that the bulbs I planted in containers last fall would all be dead because the soil froze.  But after this long winter, and after seeing my ongoing frustrating case today, I came home to something that assured me that spring will come.  I have crocus sprouts!  Look close.  They're there!

 

   Of course, I can't guarantee they'll actually bloom, but seeing those little green rays of hope was just what I needed to make a bad day a little bit better.  Stay tuned for more pictures as my flowers continue to grow.   I also started knitting, but more on that later.  :)

   I hope everyone else out there is staying warm and finding small ways to manage their struggles.