A Crafty Wish #1

       I have a lot of hobbies. One of them is crochet. Lately, I've gotten in a mood to make hundreds of little bags. Seriously, I'm itching to make another one right now. I haven't really gotten to a hundred but I have a feeling I'm going to get there before long. So far, my count is three but I think I'll be making another one tomorrow after I get back from work. Well, I might start on it after this Supernatural episode. I've missed a few episodes so I have no idea what's going on but I think I'll figure it out after I see the reruns of this season.  Anyways, here's a picture of one of my  bags. This one went to my grams.

Back To Work

    It's my first week back at work and I spent it alternating between cashiering and keeping myself busy by making the aisles look neat. I'm afraid I didn't do a very good job at the latter yesterday because I got a little bit wrapped up with the toy aisle. It was a horrifying mess but I got most of it sorted out I think. I'm afraid that I'll go back tomorrow and find it the way it was before I started. I had a nightmare about that. *shudder*

Garden Whimsy #2

"The Burpee Finger Trap"

     I'm going to start this off by saying that I am never purchasing this particular product from Burpee again. I hate this seed tray. The soil pellets included with the kit don't have a mesh around them so it's difficult to transplant the seedlings to larger containers and impossible to do without disturbing the roots. I have small fingers but even my pinky got stuck when I used the hole at the bottom to push the plant up and out. If you're going the seed-tray route, go for the Jiffy ones with the mesh pellets and save yourself a hassle. I definitely plan on contacting Burpee about that product. Yeah, it bothered me that much.

Garden Whimsy #1

"Oh Cucumber!~"

     I think I'm just going to have one title for all my garden related posts to make them easier to identify. I might change my mind later but for now, this is #1. I'm fascinated by root systems. I really can't get enough of looking at them. I'm sort of glad that these two cucumber plants didn't end up deep enough because it gives me an opportunity to see the root system develop. I had forgotten why I love biology so much. I really wish they made biology books more interesting. Textbooks just have a way of making the most amazing things in the universe tremendously dull. You can blame Texas for that by the way but I won't get into how Texas influences the entire nation's textbooks. Go ahead, google it.

Still Got My Seed Leaves

     I was quite excited to see these guys this morning. Looks like the Kale is wasting no time in catching up to the Arugula and Lettuce. I'm starting to realize how much of a problem this seed tray brand is going to be when I transplant. You see, the tray came with pellets but these pellets do not have a mesh around them. It's weird because the refills they sell have meshes. I would look closely at the included pellets if you decide to buy a seed-starting tray kit. The kind with the biodegradable meshes are best for transplanting as you don't disturb the fragile new root systems.

No Stopping Us Now

     You've seen this picture before. Not really, you've seen these seedling before though. As you can see, the Arugula is making a statement to the Lettuce on the left. It's no surprise to see them be the first seedlings to take off though because they've got about half the time to maturity than all the other plants. In a month's time, there'll be salad rocket in my salad. It won't be for another two that I get anything else.

     On the left of the Lettuce, there's a row of Kale. They're the third to sprout but they're making up for it with fast growth. By yesterday evening this particular plant's leaves were peeking out where in the morning it had been a seed. All of these are still way ahead of schedule. I wasn't expecting anything until maybe day six.

     The Cucumbers are in no rush. Aren't their little roots beautiful? I say little but these guys have the thickest roots of all the seedlings. I imagine they're going to need them. Cucumbers love water. They look kind of like the applicators for mascara. The roots are sure different from the feathery roots of the Kale up there aren't they?

     This is destined to be the final home of some of those seedlings up there. It's not finished yet but I'm already excited to fill it with dirt. My step-dad has been working tirelessly on these things. I'm not sure who's more excited for this project. The lure of fresh harvested tomatoes and lettuce to go on your burger is a strong one I suppose!

Hello Arugula

     I still don't remember what yesterday's seedling was but today I'm willing to bet on the Arugula. I'm glad to see seedlings because it means that I'll have something to look forward to every day now that my kitty is going to her new home. I'm going to miss her. She's going to a friend that lives nearby so I'll be able to visit whenever I want but the separation still stings. As for the Arugula, I read somewhere that they like to grow with tomatoes. As it so happens, I happen to be growing some of those too. They haven't sprouted yet.

     This is the lettuce. You can already see the difference between the two plants because of the seed-leaf shape. The lettuce seedlings are also a tad bigger. I can't wait to see what they look like as they grow. I don't have any pictures of the cucumbers but the first seeds have grown roots.