Indoor Gardening and Walking In The Woods

My orchids are planning for a show of flowers around March.  Lots of new flower spikes.  Just a few inches tall so far, so I must wait.  The white orchids are blooming as are the paperwhites and the lemon lime amaryllis.

G pulled the frozen solid bag of potting soil into the house on Saturday morning and I tucked it (well, shoved it) under the table of orchids to thaw.  Took two full days but now it's ready for me to drag it back onto the cold sunporch (no sun) and pot up the spring bulbs I never got around to planting in the ground.   I have quite a few bags of tulips, daffodils and some little crocuses.

I think I will layer them in the pots.  Big bulbs, cheek to cheek, in the bottom and then dirt and then some smaller bulbs on top.  I have "rescued" forced bulbs from the trash at work in past springs and they do eventually realm when planted into the ground (2 years later).  Usually forced bulbs don't have much regenerative energy left.  But I think it's better to try and force them than to tuck them into the compost pile.

I managed to make a pot of beans yesterday.  I think my problem with cooking dry beans is that I let them get too old being stored in the cupboard.  These were "newer" red beans and I presoaked them in boiling water and then slow cooked them with garlic cloves, a halved onion and two carrots.  I now have soft beans to use in chili instead of the weekly soup.

I was less than enthusiastic about the French cabbage soup this time.  Just wasn't "tasty".  The only change I can think of was the first time the cabbage was from my garden and this time the cabbage was from the grocery.   The carrots from Whole Food are incredible.  I wish the store was closer.  I would be there right now to buy some giant beets to roast.

I have been following the "activity" portion of my To Do List for my furlough.  Walking with G and Riley in the woods behind the house.  The path is ice and snow covered and uneven.  I trudge along behind the two of them and try not to sprain an ankle.  It's snowing today and everyone is looking like they may not be going for a walk.  We'll see.

The food part of my resolutions isn't going as well.  To solve the problem I decided to just go ahead and eat all the Christmas candy.  Now it's all gone.