Happy Birthday to

ME!

I love my birthday. Not for the reasons you might think, such as being showered with lavish presents (although those who are near and dear to me did give me some very awesome gifts, which I might tell you about later). Rather, I love my b'day because it's a great excuse to take a vacation day, and being a week to 10 days after the "last frost date," it's the perfect day to start most of the serious garden planting.

So, that's what I'll be doing today. If you check back, I'll try to keep you updated.

0610: Woke up. Greeted My Dearest O, #2 Son, and O-Pets.

0630: Construction crew starts to assemble in front of the O-Home.

0645: Backhoe operator repeatedly slams backhoe into street to break up asphalt. Despite my calming reassurances, the O-Pets scurry, trembling, into the shelter of the basement.

0715?: 63 degrees; sunny. Gather various garden implements. Bring tomatoes and tomatillos outside to enjoy fresh air in the shade of the lilac bush.

0830: 66 degrees; sunny. Done planting one bed (two rows) of potatoes (Burbank, Sebago, and Superior. Time for first coffee break!

0845: My goodness, those construction workers have some serious potty mouths!

0905: Break's over. Back to work.

1010: 73 degrees; sunny. Done planting second (and last) potato bed (Yukon Gold and Caribe). Taking a short break before getting out the big guns (Remington Garden Wizard mini tiller).

1015: Seriously craving a Lazy Jane lemon scone but don't want to take the time to clean up and go get one.