Spring Cleaning

It's the first day of Spring, and it was cold. Frost overnight, but sunny. Yesterday I went to the store and forgot my list. I remembered everything from the nursery and about half from the grocery store.

I went to the nursery prepared to fight off any urges for splashy flowers and stick to my list. I got two coco husk liners for my largest hanging baskets, a bag of moisture retention potting soil, and a few veggies. They were even on sale. Lettuce, kale, radish (already growing), peas, and a poppy. The poppy wasn't on my list and I don't have a designated spot for it.

I placed one set of veggies on the upper deck, forgot the other in the garage. When I got up this morning I could see frost on the ground. Luckily the veggies are close to the house, but probably more exposed than at the nursery. We shall see what happens, still have another month before last frost.

Today I carried the bags of potting soil upstairs.  They are small bags so I intend to mix them together and add some compost. Last year I used coco liners that had a plastic sheet for water retention. I realized later that they could serve as a troughs in the rain. This year I bought plain ole coconut liners and I'll try a different soil and see how they do.

I finally placed the new railing basket liners and really wanted to plant them.  These two planters will have the shallow plants like lettuce and kale. The two deeper planters (above) will be used for larger plants in late spring.

But the railings are dirty with black and green mold splotches. Despite wanting to plant I know I need to clean the deck first (great way to kill my initial excitement).

Tomorrow when I visit my parents I plan to get my sprayer and use it with a bleach and water mix. I've lived here for over three years and have tried several products to clean the railing. Every single year. If you see this type of fencing at a potential rental or new house, you can count on cleaning it every single year here in the northwest.

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Gratitude is my word of the year.

Today I'm grateful for:

sun (even when it's cold out)

coffee (hot or iced)

my job, even though it can be ridiculous at times

siblings who are more capable than I'd thought

and 

old family photos, funny and thought provoking.