But still. Let's just call it done and not be quite so OCD about it, 'kay? (And I'm sure both of you know I've walked more than 299.81 miles in my life. I only started using DailyMile at the beginning of this year. So those aren't lifetime stats, those are 2013 stats.)
The rain and pain kept me up last night, but I feel pretty good now. An Aleve at 4 a.m., along with the gentle rainfall from the tail end of the storms helped lull me back to sleep for another 90 minutes. The pain is temporary, as I become accustomed to working again. The IT pain I mentioned a few days ago has abated with continued roller and stretching therapy. It flares up toward the end of a long walk, but otherwise hasn't been a problem. I'm even getting in and out of my car without difficulty, so I know it's getting better.
It's amazing what one night of rain does for the garden. In addition to all. those. weeds., the hostas have emerged and the asparagus is skyrocketing! For those of you with asparagus envy, there's no time like the present to plant some. I'm so sorry I waited so long. I kept putting it off because you can't harvest it the first year (you need to let those stalks die back to provide energy for the next 20 years). It's that whole instant gratification thing, I guess. Well, you can't pick it any year if you don't plant it first.
I have since planted apple trees and blackberry bushes, which also take a while to begin producing. I learned my lesson with the asparagus. Last year was the first year for apples, and I got enough for a pie. ONE pie. I would have had more but that summer windstorm blew them all off their branches. And the birds got all the blackberries, but there weren't many since it also was their first year. I expect to have enough to share this summer.
I've shared far too many strawberries with slugs, and am considering planting them in containers this spring. I suppose slugs can crawl into containers, too, though. Fresh-from-the-garden strawberries are so much more delicious than fresh-from-the-grocery ones … it might be worth the risk. I am, however, going to till up the old strawberry bed and plant something else there this year.
After our record-high heat this week, spring is returning and we're going to have perfect work-in-the-yard weather all week long. I'm SO ready.
