I find myself in the midst of spring cleaning. It is absolutely gorgeous outside, and I've locked myself indoors with noxious chemicals. (Well, mainly clorox wipes and dust rags, but still...) It looks so lovely outside, I find myself wanting my home to compare, if not match, that beauty. And so, with dust rag in hand, I have been sorting through my shelves, my cabinets, and my closets and dusting everything in sight while tossing in the donation bin anything that has seen better days.

My goal is to finish in time that I can go exploring in greenhouses all over town. I'm greatly anticipating the revival of my deck garden, which beautifies my view immensely. I'm planning on growing mint this year, in addition to the usual basil, tomatoes, etc. You see, I love mint tea, but it never occurred to me to grow my own, until this year. So, that is what I will do. I will try to keep you all updated with pictures of how my garden does this year, perhaps as incentive for me to keep it well-watered. (I'm always forgetting to water!) Also, I think this is the year that I'll test out hanging baskets, as I've learned of a better technique to deal with higher ceilings to hang from. (Replace the plastic hanger with nylon cord, and string to chosen length...stronger, and prettier, and at the right height!) I'd LOVE to grow marguerite daisies, but I'm afraid they wouldn't hold up well to our second floor winds. We shall see what I come home with!