Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination.  You are always living three, or indeed six, months hence.  I believe that people entirely devoid of imagination never can be really good gardeners.  To be content with the present, and not striving about the future, is fatal. ~Alice Morse Earle, 1897

I’ve just started a pair of horse-themed fingerless mitts for Elijah’s birthday next month.  My knitting time has been very limited lately.  I’m hoping I’ll be able to finish this and the two other small projects I have planned for him by the middle of next month.

Sugaring season has officially ended.  We made just shy of 9.5 gallons of pure maple syrup this year.  Time to look forward to the garden.  I’m currently reading The Writer in the Garden, an anthology edited by Jane Garmey, as well as the twenty or so other gardening books that are currently scattered around my house.

Iain says I take all of the fun out of gardening and growing things.  His style would be to plant whatever he wants, whenever he wants, where ever he wants, with little regard for the likely outcome.  He’s all about the experience.  Part of me wishes I could be more in the moment like that.  Elijah however, will hunker down with me, and indeed greatly enjoys pouring through seed catalogs, making notes and plans.  Many plans.  Far more plans then we can ever set into motion.  With the two of us together it’s twice as bad.  It’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of, to dream with.  No one else tolerates my blather.  I now willingly share creative control with him.  I think he has almost as much invested in it as I do.

In an effort to cut expenses this year we’re growing almost everything from seed.  There are tiny plants on every south facing window sill and the homeschooling table has been entirely given over to a makeshift vegetable nursery.

Does anyone know what this plant is?  It’s a tropical house plant of some sort.  Our neighbor sent it over thinking it would do better at our house.  I think it’s odds would be greatly improved by my being able to positively identify it.