A Poignant Spring

I love when everything starts turning green again! It's one of my favorite times of the year. I have so many plants growing in my greenhouse - I have all kinds of tomatoes - this year I ordered San Marzano tomatoes, so I am very excited. San Marzano's are the true, Italian paste tomatoes - there is no substitute. I also started some heirloom tomatoes - Cherokee (because I'm part Cherokee) and another one that I can't remember at the moment. Plus I have Lemon Boys and Sunrays (orange tomatoes) - those will be fun. I started some Italian Eggplant which looked great in the photo - white and purple striped..I can't wait! Then I also have my sweet peppers (a variety of colors), along with jalepeno's, cherry peppers and banana peppers. Stuffed cherry peppers are something I miss from being out east - they stuff them with prosciutto and provolone and soak them in oil....yum! I am dying to turn Jimmy on to these!
I got our asparagus in the mail the other day and Jimmy's going to dig a bed for them this weekend (I hope)...we got Purple Passion and Jersey Giant. I know it will be a couple of years before we can enjoy it but it will be worth the wait.
I'm also hoping he tills my garden - I am ready to plant my beets, peas, onions, radishes and arugula. The garlic that I planted in October is doing great - the sprouts are a few inches high already.

It's been a hard month...one of my kitties had to go in for oral surgery. Matilda had a problem with her mouth so I took her in to the vet..they said it could be a tooth or could be cancer...omg, that was so hard. I cried like a little girl when I had to drop her off, but turned out it was just her tooth. Thank you God! Now I am taking 2 more in for the same...so stressful as they are all my angels.

We also found out our big guy, Cody, is diabetic...giving him an insulin shot every day is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. It's very hard to have him looking at me with those big brown eyes & having to stick a needle in him. Plus there's the pressure of him being Jim's best friend - I love them both so much that it's a hard situation. But he was so bad before he was diagnosed - I don't know if anyone else has a diabetic dog, but it was really scary. He lost a ton of weight and stopped eating and grew really lethargic...Thank God we found out what it was. He's back to himself now & I just am thankful that we caught it in time.

Meanwhile, Jim has been working long hours and it's taking it's toll on me - I really miss having him around. He's my sounding board, my strong shoulder, my co-lunatic, and the love of my life. We've been through a lot together - can you believe it's been 5 years? - and I'm not sure what I'd do without him, although honestly, with our current situation, it is still something I have to consider. I can never let my defenses down enough with the way that we are, to believe that it's forever. I guess that today is all we're ever really promised, right?

To top it all off, my dad - well, my step-dad - went in to the hospital a few nights ago with chest pains. I cannot even begin to tell you how scared I was. And it's sad but true that I was scared not just for him for a lot for my mom...they are such a great couple and it's hard to see my mom in pain. Luckily, the tests came back fine, at least the preliminary ones, and again I PRAY that he's fine and nothing is seriously wrong. They say it's not his heart, so that's a great thing.

The first couple of weeks in April will always be hard for me. I get to remember my best friend, Katie's birthday, the true love of my life -My brothers birthday, and the loss of Jimmy's and my little Peanut. Along with those things rush the memories - the sound of Katie's laugh, the feel and smell of my brother when I hugged him, the lonely hours before and after Peanut said goodbye. With all the newness and greenery around me, still every year I am forced to say goodbye to all of them, again.

But through it all, another spring arrives, nonetheless - new hopes, new dreams, new beginnings. The crocus have been up for weeks, the daffodils are currently impressive, and the sprouts of new growth are everywhere. Every year I long for the realization of the hopes that encompass me and every year I realize that no matter what's to come that I am truly blessed.