Getting on with 2018

 No, that's not January.

Here we are, already past the first week in January.  Our weather had been bitterly cold for a few weeks, but as of now, we're enjoying temperatures in the upper 20's.  I went to fill the bird feeders without a coat on and it felt downright balmy outdoors.  Amazing what a body can adapt to.

Carl and I have been running around to all sorts of appointments for ourselves and for his parents; the days go by in a blur and at the end of the night, I look back and wonder just what it was we accomplished.  Eventually, we hope things will settle down a bit more. 

Now that the weather has warmed up a little, the snow is melting and things look dismal.  I went through some of my pictures from this past summer to cheer me up a little, so this post includes random summer photos.  

I'm also considering what I'm going to plant (or not plant) this spring.  We have no garden walks scheduled for 2018 so there's no particular reason to get everything all gussied up this year.  2019 is the big year, with our silly garden on the American Hosta Society tour.  We're going to take this summer and try our best to get good ol' Castle Aargh further along.

Summertime and the livin' is easy.

 I'm debating not putting up the greenhouse this year, but we'll see if I stick to my resolve.  It would make life easier as the process of getting it all hauled down from Mom's shed takes hours of work and then at the end of the season, we have to put it away again. 

 I will miss not having the greenhouse; there's something magical about the sight of growing things in early spring.  But it's only for one year.

 

I'll have to have flowers to put in the urns and the pots, though.  

The New Guinea impatiens were fabulous last summer.  Carl brought more pipe home from the scrap yard so we can add more upright accents in other places in the garden next year.

Will I or won't I plan my pink 'Bubblegum' supertunias this year?  I'm not sure, but I suspect I will have a few.

Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' has been naturalizing in the hosta beds in front of the house, but I've been curbing its tendency so take over a little.  Still, it's a gorgeous plant in bloom.  

The 'Fireball' marigolds mixed in with the 'Profusion' zinnias were  great plants last year, and easy to grow.  I'll probably add some this year, too.

Two years running, I've had the Tidal Wave 'Red Velour' petunias in abundance, amazing that only twenty plants grown from seed could be so prolific.

What will I do with no color other than green this summer?  I'll have to think of something to brighten things up.  Maybe some more pots instead to lighten the work load.  But then, pots have to be watered.....hmmm....more to think about.

I did plant more lilies last year.  If the voles aren't a big problem and the frigid weather didn't damage them, we should have a good show in 2018.

Then there's the Batting Cage to consider.  Though after the relocating the gazebo, this area was off to a rather dubious start, the whole thing turned out fairly well.  I guess I'll give it one more year and see how it goes.

I've got a few other beds to renew this spring.  We found some of our granite boulders and polished pieces were buried under greenery, so they had to be brought out into the light of day early last summer.

 I've got lots to ponder on during the last remaining weeks of winter.  We'd really love to get some stained glass projects done, too, but time is always in short supply. 

 And, speaking of time, back on Halloween we had gone on a geocaching outing with Joel and Ann, and stopped at a restaurant for lunch.  For all of our years together, Carl loves to have me guess what order number we are assigned when we go out to eat.  Of course, I never know, and simply blurt out a random answer. I'm never right.

Well, apparently wonders never cease.....for the first time in 39 years of marriage, we had order #1 and #39.  

Spooky!

And we're both 59 here........but not for much longer.  The Big 60 looms!

Oh, dear.  We're quite the pair, aren't we?  

Stay warm, everyone!