Happy Spring!!!

Hello to Marshall and beyond! Spring, in my eyes, is the best season that we have. Let's see just how many months have we been dressed in layers just to walk out our door to check the mail, get into our automobiles and go to work, the store or wherever our journey takes us that particular day. The first day that the sun comes out and it is above 50 degrees with the birds chirping is such an uplifting experience...then seeing my first Robin, watching the trees start to bud, the grass get a bit of green peeking thru and the amazing spring colors from the flowers start to "Pop", THEN I know Spring has stopped by to greet us once again....and I leave those thoughts with you to brighten your day!

Hope that you enjoy what I have put together for you.

Gardening Tips and Tricks:
(The following are ideas to consider when gardening, please use your own judgement).

* When starting your garden seedlings indoors, plant the seeds in egg shell halves. Simply crack the shells around the roots of your plants & transplant them outdoors--the shell is a natural fertilizer!

* Take four or five empty eggshells and put in 4 cups of water. Let stand for 24 hours. Water the plants with this mixture. It will help revive sick house plants.

* Plant a few sprigs of dill near your tomato plants to prevent tomato worms on your plants.

* If you happen to have a pineapple on hand to eat, (and they are abundant and cheap during the late spring and summer months), then why not take a few minutes and grow your own pineapple plant from the discarded top?

* Peonies do not need ants to bloom. That is just an old wives' tale. Ants feed on the sap of the unopened bloom. Once the flowers open, the ants will go away.

* An apple, onion, and potato all have the same taste. The differences in flavor are caused by their smell. To prove this you can pinch your nose and take a bite from each. They will all taste sweet.

* Children grow faster in the springtime than any other season during the year. (ha ha ha)!!!

* You can tell the temperature outside by listening to a cricket! Count the number of chirps in 15 seconds, then add 37. The sum will be the approximation of temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. The male cricket does most of the singing by rubbing his wings together, usually to attract a female, but often to sound an alert when danger is near.

* The annoying Asian Lady Beetle is a beneficial insect! Though not welcome inside the house, these predators consume large quantities of aphids and scale insects, and are responsible for benefiting the pecan industry by controlling the pecan aphid.

The Garden
Here are some ideas for your garden:

Plant three rows of peas:
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul

Plant four rows of squash:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

Plant four rows of lettuce:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

No garden without turnips:
1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

To conclude our garden we must have thyme:
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends

Water freely with patience and cultivate with love. There is much fruit in your garden because you reap what you sow.