2/7/24“People don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care.” ~ Amish Proverb

Calm, clear, 18 degrees. Early patchy fog. We've gained an hour and fifteen minutes of daylight.  Sun and clouds mixed today with a light NNE breeze.high of 37. Cloudy tonight, patchy fog, a gentle north breeze,a low of 19.  Sunshine tomorrow with a NW wind, a high of 39, a low of 20.  Cloudy Friday with a strong NW breeze, a high of 41, a low of 31. Cloudy Saturday with a WSW breeze, a high of 48, a low of 33.  Cloudy Sunday with a strong NW breeze, a high of 44, a low of 29.  Partly cloudy Monday with a brisk NW breeze, a high of 39, a low of 25.  Snow showers Tuesday with a stiff north breeze, a high of 33, a low of 21.  Partly cloudy next Wednesday, Valentine's Day, with a NW wind, a high of 30, a low of 15.  Partly cloudy next Thursday through Wednesday the 21st with brisk NW breezes, highs in the mid twenties, lows from 15 to 11.

    I called the seed company yesterday to check the status of Gilbert's cucumber seeds.  They were in stock but not shipped.  In stock means that the company had bought a bulk order but hadn't counted them out into packages for the customer yet.  The company had a new variety that we had wished we had gotten some of.  They agreed to send us packages of the new variety instead of the back ordered ones.  We are always looking for new shorter day cucumbers that are as good to eat as the ones we've been growing.  Also when a new variety comes out the old standby is often dropped.  We will give Gilbert some of our old standby variety in trade for some of the new ones.  I send my daughter in law in Alaska cucumber seeds, I'll send her some of the new variety.  We know we'll have a good crop with the old stand by.  And maybe a better crop with the new variety?  Or maybe we'll decide we won't try the new variety again.  The goal is for new peas, new potatoes, and platters of sliced cucumbers for the fourth of July.  Often here in the north that is an elusive goal.  Kind of like Heather trying to figure out how to have fresh bouquets of flowers for Mother's Day that aren't grown in a heated greenhouse or shipped in..  Easter is March 31st this year.  Will the weather allow me to plant pansies in the church box? Will Bekah have some in bloom by then.  She plans on most of the pansies being in bloom April 10th. By then the weather is usually good enough to set out pots of pansies even if they can't be planted.  Strawberry plants don't come until the first week in May, they don't like to get frosted.

     Delivery of the Coast of Maine order is the first week in April.  I can remember having to postpone delivery because there were still snow drifts in the yard.  Like most farmers, greenhouse owners don't need to buy megabuck tickets.  Most everything they do is a gamble!

     May God bless you on this day, Sally