February didn't start off well.  My father died January 30.  It was hands down the worst day of my life. He was 85 and had prostate cancer, so it was a release for him, but I've always been a daddy's girl and there is such an empty space in my life now.

George William Shooter

July 15, 1930-January 30, 2016

We had a memorial for him the 13th.  That was an awful day too.  I cried so much I had a sinus headache the whole next day.  He was the only man who never let me down.  He wasn't perfect, but he was awesome.  

I got to see both of my grandsons more than once this month, so it has been good.  Michael has such a temper!  He can go from calm to pissed off in a second.  His mommy is going to have fun with him! Austin just gets taller and more charming by the moment.  Having him at the memorial helped me.  I imagine that he is what my dad was like at 2. So full of himself!

The weather has been crazy.  50 degree days followed by a foot of snow.  My poor flowers don't know what to do. 

I got some seeds started, and made an order from Baker Creek Seeds. www.rareseeds.com. Oh, the hours spent poring over their catalog looking at all of the lovely and unusual veggies. If I actually manage to get everything I ordered to grow, we will be eating veggies every day.  I'm trying to convince myself I like sweet potatoes, so I got their rare sweet potato collection.  Maybe I will like one of them.  4 varieties of tomato, 4 or 5 varieties of cukes, 3 squash, 3 beans, some peppers, and greens.  We shall eat good this summer! I want to plant strawberries on the hill by the pine trees in our yard.  No one likes mowing that hill.

I finished the March insert for anyone interested in art journaling along with me. Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14yfkjylaj_NqZjx0NhgDnArr9luLowEzfg6w6KEyoMg/edit?usp=sharing

I got some black copper marans chicks this weekend, but one died already.  Looking forward to those dark eggs.  I may try to hatch an olive egger this fall since both of my roos are easter eggers.  

I must say I'm not sorry to see February go.  March is Ostara and the beginning of spring.  My favorite season.

Bye winter, Hello Spring!

"She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head

And whispered to her neighbor;

"Winter is dead."

--A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young