the blue muse

This year is the first year in about ten years that I haven’t started seedlings for my garden.

And I’m feeling it. I miss my “babies” (which is what I call them), miss the feeling that I am starting my own little version of spring right here in my basement.

It came down to a matter of time. The past few years have been crazier and crazier as we’ve added jewelry shows, and last year there was one the first weekend in June. Getting ready for that and getting my garden planted was a pretty major clash.

I usually start between twelve and fifteen flats of plants. The process starts sometime in March and then I tend them, carefully, lovingly, transplanting and watering and feeding and watching over, until it is time to start moving them outside, hardening them off, and finally finding a place to settle them into so they can take root and grow.

Kind of like real babies.

Mine are all grown, and sometimes I miss all that nurturing, too.

I am at that in-between stage, where mine are grown up, but still too young to be sending grandchildren in my direction. And I can wait…you know, be careful what you wish for…

But that probably explains why I keep adopting kittens.