Pretty pictures: Viola cvv.

The inevitable future snowfalls aside, spring is pretty well accomplished here. The weather forecast involves multiple consecutive days of above-freezing temperatures at night, and 50s during the day. Most of the snow has melted, sunset is happening later and later, and the whole world is starting to get that wet-dog smell.

And there are Violas showing up at my ex-work, which is as sure a sign of spring as any.


Meanwhile, at the Subjunctive Botanical Gardens of Eastern Iowa, things are changing pretty quickly too. I need to start some seeds. We were hoping to start growing some lettuce under the lights in the basement (where, in theory, it's cool enough that we ought to be able to grow them year-round, though I'm sure there's some hidden problem with that theory), and I've got some other stuff I should probably start indoors before putting it outside (tomatoes, Gazanias). It's sort of an open question whether that's how it's going to work, though.


It's an open question because a lot of stuff is going to be changing around here. I have one biggish announcement that should appear here tomorrow, and another one coming on March 24, after I return from the quarterly hiatus. They're not big announcements on the level of last year's job-quitting / moving / marrying hat trick, but they both have the potential to be substantial life changes.


Also, Nina most likely arrived in Iowa on March 6, 2009, and first came home with me on March 28, so somewhere in March would be a good time to have some kind of Nina Appreciation Day post. Anybody who has any good recipes for cricket cake (the insect, not the sport) should speak up.