We are planning on expanding the garden this year. We’d like to eventually build up to growing most of our own veg again, like we did pre-child, that golden era where the laundry was all clean at once and I never found purple smudges all over the toilet seat.

Anycase, I have been doing some reading on the old Victory Gardens from WWII. The most practical Site I have found is called “Revive the Vistory Garden for victory over Global Warming“. I love the idea, plus they give a bit more structure on how to start planning. According to their info we can start Swiss Chard March 15th…I am hooked on the stuff after eating at Edo Squid’s this fall…total digression, I know.

The Earthly Pursuits site has several of the old books uploaded, plus lots of British garden guides from the same era. A really nice collection. The graphic above is from the book Food Saving and Sharing from 1917. The tagline states “Telling How the Older Children of America May Help Save from Famine Their Comrades in Allied Lands Across the Sea.”

This cracks me up for some reason. I really cannot picture a campaign today to try to get children to help with some problem, much less eating less. Not such a bad thought…but can you imagine it?

This article fromt the Sierra Club is also pretty interesting. It has a broader scope than just the victory gardens, but also some interesting facts. Did you know that by 1943 VG’s were producing 30-40% of our nation’s vegetables?? I find that rather incredible.

So where to start? With our last frost date….whch is reported for Richmond as anywhere from April 7th to May 4th. According to the horticulture teacher at my school tax day is a safe bet.

Oh, and don’t forget:

I am cleaning out some fabric. As I mentioned a while back I inherited a huge mess of fabric from a childhood neighbor of the husband. She’s in her early 90’s and just recently has settled into an assisted living facility. She was a lifelong sewer and I can not even begin to describe the bounty.

The problem is there is a bit too much bounty, so I’ll be slowly putting batches of it up for sale over the next few weeks. Here’s a sample. It is a double-knit argyle pattern with metallic sparkles. It is amazing, but I now literally now own reams of double knit fabric. Too good not to share.

There are a few other things for sale.

Well, we ended up getting about a half inch yesterday. Not enough to cancel school or make snowmen, but it was pretty.

We ended up home anyway. Little sis has a raging tonsil infection. She has officially been sick since Christmas Day with this bug. Took her back to the doctor yesterday and this time we got to see our regular guy. Apparently the other doc we saw the first time prescribed the wrong amount of antibiotic. She was getting 1/2 tsp instead of 1 & 1/4 teaspoon. Not too happy about this. She is much more sick now, and has had a fever of 104 for three days.

Little sis with her Webkinz “Beatiful Sparkly Jewel”- and yes that’s the full name

Sorry about the vent. She is doing better now that we have the correct dose. The next step is to talk to the ENT about removing tonsils altogether. Anyone done this with a 4 year old? I had mine out when I was 22, and I hate to think of putting her through that, but since the tubes this past fall she has not gone more than 5 days in a row without a sore throat.

Off to make jello!

Things have been a bit hectic around here post holiday. We’re adding a room onto the house. Our kitchen is the size of a matchbox and is not heated….very Little House on the Prairie, but not in the good way.

So the news that we might be in for some snow was more than a tad exciting. We haven’t had a good snow since we returned from Florida last year, and frankly we could use a day off.

We’re either getting frozen stuff, or a lot of soggy disappointed kids on the way to school tomorrow.

My sister lives in Santa Monica, but frequently gets to travel to San Francisco. So I am prematurely and vicariously planning what I will do next time I visit.

Britex Fabrics

Oh well, winter break is over. Back to the grindstone…