Mid-March and the first day of "spring" that feels like summer.

The snow is gone. It melted soon after it fell. The temperatures warmed back to their unusual levels. Birds continued to break out in song. The last two mornings began in fog much like a morning in April or May. The crocuses burst into flower this past week. The daffodils are showing their points of green earlier than I can remember. Odder than any of the above, the Johnny Jump-Ups reseeded themselves last fall, settled into the ground, shot out some leaves, and mustered a collection of flowers before our winter set in, and then they survived ALL winter through.Those same little plants with their fall flowers picked themselves up and are blooming now!! Their flowers never died! They seemed like they only went to sleep for a bit.

Saturday I planted 33, 6-pack fiber boxes with seeds from 28 species. They were mostly herbs but also included Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Kale, Celery and 3 varieties of lettuce. Culinary herbs included Parsley, Dill, Cilantro, Sweet Basil, Chervil, Winter Savory and Sacred Basil. Medicinal herbs includes Borage, Hyssop, Motherwort, Lovage, Blue Vervain, White Yarrow, Stinging Nettle, Astragalus, Marshmallow, Lady's Mantle, Milk Thistle and Echinacea. Wish me luck.

After all of that, I learn that people have already planted their peas by boasting online about their accomplishments. Ok, yes, it is worth telling. But, good grief! Of course I would have to learn that someone has gotten their peas in before I have been able to. What else could bother me as much? I don't want to say I quit. I feel like saying; "get a life"! No, no, no, I can't say that. I don't have one either. Look where I am at this moment. No bother, really. I haven't gotten there yet. I will. I plan to stake up 3 rows of peas that will come to about 50 ft. for starters. I'll get there.

In my garden a patch of spinach has overwintered. That's a first. They are beautiful and a surprise.

 A number of Kale plants are coming back and their little leaves are worth picking for salads. The green slender stems of newly growing garlic are up, too, like the Daffodils. I have a whole bed of garlic this year. I can't wait to see how they do. It's my first. I also planted kitchen garlic around the newly made pond and they are coming up as well. I am so so pleased and excited.

The unusual warm weather is, well, creepy. Plants and trees don't bud out in March or April but they are this time. My little Lilac tree broke bud and so did the willows and roses. What will happen if there is a frost? Will all the leaves from these premature budding trees die? What if they keep going? One New York Times article alluded to the possibility that plants that need to be pollinated will be out of sink with the pollinators that usually visit them. This will inevitably cause species to remain unpollinated. No pollination means no new generation of plants and species may die out as a consequence. That's creepy.

What will remain? My guess is that the "invasive" plants will remain. You know the creeping, choking, thorny vines that reach and climb indiscriminately up and over everything, slowly strangling every living thing that cannot move out of its way.  Ohhhh, this is a very sad note. The stuff for science fiction.

Back to more digging. There is so much more to do!