Quick! Am I shopping for lady bugs after work, or mixing up some pepper soap? Or will diatomaceous earth do the trick?

It hit 80 degrees Fahrenheit today. The strawberries have been growing slowly, white with green seeds, for weeks. This silly strawberry turned red today. The bottom is still white. Perhaps I should install some reflection apparatus to brighten the underside 😉 I even found time to sow tomatoes and peppers the other evening. It’s a month late, but we do what we do when we can do it around here. Five weeks until the wedding! I’m getting more excited for the celebration (and more anxious about the event details) by the day. I have to say it is absolutely splendid to have nothing but joy about the actual marriage part, even if I have quite solidified the self-knowledge that I gain no pleasure (nor am I very good at) coordinating colors, creating timelines for good flow, or otherwise planning such a large (albeit small by wedding standards) party.

The heat bed gained a new tenant a few months back. It promptly lost all flowers. Then it froze. Flowers returned. It froze again. More flowers. In a generally drab landscape, this little lady makes me smile.

I think this plant should work harder. It obviously has no idea how to make leaves big enough…