Sesame Street's "It's a Rainy Day"

OMG. This song is an absolutely brilliant and oh-so-sweet reminder to appreciate rainy days. Lately, it's been hard, in fact, I've been in a pissy mood about the weather. I fell in love with it the first time I heard it.

"RAINY DAY"

It's a rainy day, it's a rainy day.
It's raining outside and I can't go out and play,
Why do we need the rain, anyway?

Rain falls every where fills the rivers and streams,
Flows into the reservoire, is purified and cleaned,
Water to do the wash, Water to drink,
Water is flowing from our pipes into our sinks.

It's a rainy day, it's a rainy day.
It's raining outside and I can't go out and play.
I guess I'll stay at home today.

Every living thing needs water
Every living thing needs the rain,
Every living thing needs water,
I guess I really can't complain.

It's a rainy day, it's a rainy day.
It's raining outside and I can't go out and play,
Why do we need the rain, anyway?

Water to do the dishes,
Water to brush our teeth,
Water to take a shower,
Water to wash the street.
Water to wash the forest,
Millions of thirsty roots,
Water for the garden, flowers, vegetables and fruits.

It's a rainy day, it's a rainy day.
It's raining outside and I can't go out and play.
Don't you know I love the rain, anyway.

Check it out on youtube.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlljkLsdc2A&feature=related

Berry Cold

The ice man cometh coating everything outdoors in ice. It is but a transient, beautiful, state melting as I type. The sounds of ice being blown on trees and bushes has a rare a musical quality when accompanied by silence. We were spared power outages and days trapped in the house. Lady luck was with us on this one allowing us to enjoy the beauty of this round of winter weather. I vote for snow next round, then we can play in it. More wintery weather is predicted for the coming weekend. Staying tuned. Hoping to build the snowcat I've been planning for years.

Planning the summer garden

The time has come, at last, to plan for the spring and summer gardens. I get really excited about being outside again, especially this year. I get so bored with being cooped up in the house. It makes me so grumpy. Felder Rushing's book has been cracked open, seed catalogs are bedtime reading,the seeds have been taken down and a small set of lettuces sitting on the kitchen window sill have germinated. We planted snow peas last weekend and will be planting English peas soon. Our turnips and mustard were vaporized by the two weeks of temps in the teens and twenties so we'll probably give them another go. Should I try broccoli from seed one more time? My seedlings haven't produced this year. I could speculate endlessly about the hot fall and the freezing winter or maybe too much nitrogen keeping them from flowering. I excel in the alchemy of gardening not the chemistry; I always plant with hope in my heart feeling wonder and awe when I get lucky enough to harvest anything. Maybe it's time to get serious and send off those soil samples...

Collards 2010

...cooked and ready to eat. To cook,heat some oil in a large, deep pan. Put in the damp, cleaned, chopped collards and steam with a small amount of water (what's all this chicken broth stuff promoted by foodies about?)for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze on some lemon juice and eat. Traditionally, Southerns use pork fat and vinegar but it really isn't necessary. Manga, manga.

...chopped and ready to cook. Cooks note: This pile of collards will cook down and there will only be enough for four servings.

... cleaned with stems removed. Eat the stems and you will die from indigestion-as in you are not a cow and the human stomach doesn't do collard stems.

... piled up on the kitchen counter; a mess of 'em.

Officially cold

It's official. Even Florida has been blasted with this damned cold. The citrus crop is now officially affected. So depressing. I bought lovely lemons just a week ago. The color so refreshing. Now I wish I'd bought more.
What does the rushing water of a Colorado stream in summer have to do with the cold? Well. In July the water in a Colorado spring is ice cold. So cold you gasp when you step into it and your feet become numb quickly. After spending two months sweating in the Southern US it feels oh-so-good and refreshing. It's cold because the winter snow high up in the mountains is slowly melting releasing the most, wonderful, clear and cool elixir of life. Personally I'm looking forward to the time when cold feels good again.

so cold, cold, cold

When I got home from work the thermometer was at 40, a virtual heat wave! So, I bravely lifted one edge of the cover over my lettuce patch and found that there is still life in there. Thriving? I won't know until it warms some and that's a few days away. Fingers crossed and a carrot pulled for lunch tomorrow. (Peter Rabbit and Mr. Mcgregor come to mind.)Garden girl got game.

Epic Cold

It is seriously cold in the Land Down Under USA. Seriously. The nights have been in the teens and the days no warmer than freezing. Alas I just don't know if any of the cold weather crops can take days, and days, and days of this. We'll see. I've declined to look under the lettuce shelter. I rushed out and harvested all that I could the afternoon before the cold set in. And now I wait.