Winter

It really feels like Winter. The air is crisp and windy; hats, gloves, layers of clothing. I love it! We haven't had this type of cold and snow in years. Last week a snow storm that closed schools; frigid single digit temperatures back, and snowing again today. Just finished shoveling the snow and now sitting by a warm fire.

I have an unusual cat. Most animals including my brother's dog, love to lay by the fire. Not my cat. This is rare. He loves the heat from the fire but he's more afraid of the noises that the fire make. His favorite place to lay is on my daughter's lap.

Joy has a bed. Instead he chooses to lay in a box. I brought flowers home in it and he loves it.

Bad news for my seedlings. I've never had many seedlings die but many of my pansies have. I know I didn't over water them. It may be a combination of to much of what should have been half strength miracle grow to water them; spraying over them at fungus gnats, and mosquito bites in the soil. Although all the seedlings received the same treatment, only the weaker smaller ones died. It's hard to have seedlings die after so much time spent waiting for them to sprout and babying them along. I still have some that may make it. So far I'm undecided if I'll start more. I started those in December. It's kind of late to me to start again. I still have other seeds to start and more winter sowing to do. The vinca that survived are healthy and growing. Those that took longer to sprout and make a second set of leaves did not. Being snow bound again seems like the perfect time to start some seeds but that's not what I want to do at this time. Maybe tomorrow. Coleus and geraniums need to be started.

Begonias still small, and I thought I would have full sized plants by spring!

This looks like a long process.

Vinca and Miracle Grow potting soil. Never again. When I transplant them into separate pots I will use a  different potting mix.

Pansies, actually starting to look like pansies. The weaker seedlings don't make it. I will have to stop trying to save them all when I should weed out the bad ones.

I hope they make it.