No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. ~ Proverb

This has been one beautiful week. The sun has been delightfully greeting me every morning and the earth seems to be in full bloom. Soon it shall be Spring! I am in love with the early mornings. The sounds of the birds chirping and the red robins dancing about the yard puts a smile on my face. I planted all day yesterday and with our day light lasting a little bit longer, I was able to sit on the patio with a glass of wine admiring my hard work and again the joy of gardening. I love this time of year. Last week was another turning point for us in our yard. I finally placed my order with Martinez Recycling  (green waste recycling program) and received 4 yards of a wonderful blend of compost, sandy loom and veggie soil. I proudly shoveled 3 yards of it last weekend and after hours of back and forth  with the wheel barrel filled my two empty beds. I have a yard in my left in our driveway but slowly it's being added to my borders and soon it will all have a home in our yard.  Yesterday I added new plants to our yard. 4 Jasmine found their spot along our back fence where our posts are and will soon be crawling it's way up the garden wire I attached to the fence breaking up the long redwood wall. I also planted 3 climbing roses - our first roses and those will at some point be covering the posts and wire and will provide a screen that covers our neighbors side of the garage. My tomato seedlings are getting big and are healthy. I've already transplanted them once and are hardening off fine. I am eager to go shopping for the rest of my tomato plants and may to get the best variety early. It's still too early to plant though as I'm planning on the 2nd week in April when the soil remains warmer. This year I will be planting in one bed alone 12 beefsteak varieties. I'm guessing that we will exceed our 18 tomato plants that we planted last year. Summer tomatoes are the best and selfishly we (I) feel can't have enough. There is that plan of canning/jarring this year though and If we can accomplish that - the winter ahead won't be all that bad. Happy gardening and happy Spring!