Petunia asks: Where did all the springtime go??

This green, green photo with Petunia on her tie-out rope getting some springtime grazing in, is history. After three nights of temps in the mid-teens, we've been zapped back into time by what feels like three weeks or so. Cherry blooms, blueberry blooms, peony buds, rose leaves -- all zapped.

To add insult to injury, the four flats of heirloom seedlings I put in the heated workshop for safety were nearly all eaten to the soil by a mouse (?) last night. Preferred mouse grazing apparently includes nasturtiums, cilantro, parsley, basil, heirloom zapotec and ananas noir tomoatoes, and coneflower seedlings. They were all so tiny, that it didn't take much to leave me with nothing more than seed-starter potting mix lined up in trays.

Alas, such is gardening. Perhaps by tomorrow I will have regained my mojo. Right now I just feel sad. Those kinds of seedlings, needless to say, can't be bought down at the garden center, and even if I had the heart to replant today, I'd be far behind the season. So, this years summer garden may be built more from the local garden center and farmers co-op seedling selections. Thank goodness for those.

As for Petunia and Matilda, they slept through most of the cold in the deep straw of their house, cuddled up together like puppies. Ahh, the life of a yard goat.