The first foray into Spring planting has been made: I put in two six-foot rows of peas, (Mr. Blog will later build an A-frame trellis for them to climb on), and a small patch of Gaillardia (blanket flowers) seeds near the roses. The garlic I planted last Fall is popping up, the first tulip top, and one daffodil. All of the seeds I bought are for direct planting. Until we have a greenhouse or a better spot to grow starts, I like this method. When it warms up, maybe in March or April I'll put in the sunflowers and cosmos. This coming weekend - (like, tomorrow) I'm going to start pruning the fruit trees according the advice of that article on restoring old apple trees. I'm going to be merciless with the hundreds of water sprouts. I need to get my loppers and clippers sharpened. I wonder if my hivey anxiety is partially due to the approach of Spring and the zillions of tasks that come with it? All I know is, I've been a nervous wreck lately and it's showing up on my skin as hives. Let the work commence.