Last weekend Andy and I planted fruit trees -- apple, peach, and cherry -- and a couple of blueberry bushes. Then we had rain, which was good for the plantings. Andy trimmed up the very tall crepe myrtles in front. He and a friend's son worked on laying out more flagstone pathway, from the backyard around the suite to the front of our private patio. I worked this weekend in the yard pulling weeds and raking leaves off of the garden, but there is a lot of ground left to cover and get ready for spring. I planted more irises I had laying around, and Andy and I planted vegetables in the garden up by the barn. We found a funny thing when we went to check the vegetable garden on Sunday afternoon -- some critter had come up underground and pulled down tomato plants and ate them, leaving just an empty hole! It was either a mole or a gopher. They didn't bother the pepper seedlings, only the tomatos. I was very disappointed and will have to figure out some way to keep those critters out of the garden. Otherwise, I see signs of growth in the garden: asparagus, red onion and shallots, potatos, and lettuce. In the herb garden we have sage, basil, mint (for our signature mojitos!), cilantro, and oregano, and I've planted some arugula for salads. I still need to get the okra and soybeans in the grounds, which I plan on doing sometime this week.

We don't have any plans to go to Dallas until May, so we will be home for the next couple of weekends, to work on the property and to entertain anyone who wants to come visit. The trees are starting to bud out and the grounds are turning green. It is lovely to sit out on the front porch and listen to the birds, and watch the sunset in the evening.

SPRING IS HERE, finally! The temperatures are in the 40's in the morning and high 70's and even 80 during the day. But with the warm weather also comes windy weather. This Sunday is Easter and that means planting time -- the almanac says to plant at Easter, whether the holiday falls early or late. We plan on planting the fruit trees and raking leaves off the gardens this Saturday. And if I have time, get some tomatoes and peppers planted in the garden.

I AM READY FOR FRIENDS TO COME VISIT! This is the best time of year for Oklahoma, weatherwise. Not too cold and not too hot. Wildflowers are starting to bloom. I even have a bluebonnet blooming in my yard! The Texas bedroom is ready for a guest and I would love to have input from guests so that we can make future visits here as relaxing and enjoyable as possible.

MARCH 31
Last weekend we had about 7 inches of snow. It started on Friday afternoon. The forecast for was "blizzard conditions", and indeed the snow was blowing hard. By morning we had a winter wonderland and it continued to snow half of Saturday. Then it warmed up and began to melt. By Sunday it was half gone, and by Monday, with 70 degree temperatures, the snow was completely gone and the fields began greening up. We desperately needed the moisture. The current conditions mean the morrel mushrooms should start shooting up! But today it was 32 degrees in the morning and will be chilly all day. So we're looking for the next warm day to go out and hunt the mushrooms.

Andy's progress on the remodeling has been delayed -- he has been hired to work as a census worker and they are already starting their canvasing. He spent an entire week in training, and this week he will be out in the field gathering information. The pay is decent though. We are still hoping to have the second bedroom ready in April, but it may be nearer the end of the month at this point. Actually, that will be perfect timing weatherwise. The gardens are sprouting, and I even saw a bluebonnet blooming in my garden just before this past cold front came through. Now that we've had some moisture, I'm sure everything will pop.

WAITING FOR SPRING WEATHER

WE'VE HAD A FEW DAYS OF NICE WEATHER, SUNNY AND WARM, AND THEN A COLD FRONT CAME THROUGH EARLIER THIS WEEK AND BROUGHT A LIGHT COVERING OF SNOW. BUT IT WARMED UP BY MIDDAY AND THE SNOW WAS GONE BY THE LATE AFTERNOON. TODAY IS OVERCAST BUT WARMER, IN THE MID-30'S, AND EXPECTED TO GET UP TO 50 DEGREES.

SPRING FLOWERS ARE COMING UP -- JONQUILS, CROCUS, FORSYTHIA, AND THE QUINCE ARE BLOOMING. THE CURRANT ARE PUTTING ON LEAVES AND YELLOW FLOWERS. THE IRISES ARE COMING UP BUT NONE ARE IN BLOOM QUITE YET. ANDY AND I WALKED AROUND THE PROPERTY LAST WEEKEND WHEN THE WEATHER WAS NICE AND SAW SEVERAL PATCHES OF IRISES COMING UP IN THE WILDERNESS.

WE'VE PUT IN A GARDEN SPACE UP BY THE BARN, WITH FENCING TO KEEP THE CRITTERS OUT, AND LAST WEEKEND I PLANTED SOME POTATOES. I'LL PLANT ONION AND MORE POTATOES AND GARLIC THIS COMING WEEKEND. THE PLANTING SEASON FOR COLD-WEATHER VEGETABLES IS SUPPOSED TO BEGIN ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY HERE, I AM TOLD, BUT I AM EAGER. WE COULD HAVE A FREEZE AS LATE AS EASTER, EVEN MID-APRIL, BUT I FIGURE THAT ANY FREEZE AT THAT TIME WON'T BE LONG-LASTING AND AN OVERNIGHT FREEZE WON'T HURT THE COLD-WEATHER PLANTS THAT ARE WELL-MULCHED.

ANDY IS TEARING OUT THE "OKLAHOMA ROOM" THIS WEEK. HE WAS DELAYED BY HIS DAD'S VISIT BUT IS BACK AT WORK TODAY. WE HAD GOOD REVIEWS ON THE "TEXAS ROOM" -- FROM DREW AND HIS GIRLFRIEND MCCALL, WHO CAME TO STAY WITH US LAST WEEKEND. HE COMPLIMENTED US ON OUR CHOICES OF COLOR AND HOW WARM THE ROOM FELT. WE STILL HAVE SOME DECORATING TO DO IN THAT ROOM, AND HAVE WINDOW SHADES ORDERED, BUT IT IS USABLE. ANDY IS ALSO IN THE MIDDLE OF DESIGNING THE DECK FOR THAT ROOM BUT WON'T START BUILDING UNTIL WE HAVE SOME WARMER WEATHER . . . PROBABLY IN APRIL.

READY FOR GUESTS

The Texas room is now completely finished -- carpeted, furnished, lamps in place, art on the walls. We're ready for someone to come and try it out!

We've also had some shelving built in the area outside of our suite, and Andy has put up some shelving in the garage, so we are ready to unpack a lot of stuff this weekend.

The past week has been really nice outdoors -- sunny and warm. But this weekend it will be chilly. We'll probably have a small bonfire in the back to cook hotdogs while Drew and McCall are visiting.

FEB 20 -- The weather is cold in the morning but warms up by mid-afternoon. It's been dry for weeks and we really need some rain, but there is none in the forecast for the next week or so. I am eager for spring to get here. The Farmers Almanac says the last average date for a freeze in this area is April 15 -- around Easter. I've seen some daffodils and other bulbs coming up butnot quite blooming yet, and the flowering quince is budding out. I've seen forsythia blooming in town.