Well, I am ready to start gardening, but I am having issues finding coarse vermiculite for my soil mix.  I am creating a garden based on the Square Foot Gardening technique.  You make the soil for the garden beds with 1/3 blended compost, 1/3 coarse vermiculite, 1/3 peat.  I can find the blended compost and the peat, but the vermiculite has proved to be a problem.  I am still on the hunt for a local source (I try to shop local whenever I can), but I may have to purchase on line.  Dang it, I hate shipping charges.

The garden boxes are ready.  I have the landscaping fabric to put down to squelch weeds.  I am so ready--no vermiculite.  I'll keep looking, but I may have to come up with something else.

On a cool note, a co-worker gave me two cabbage plants for free.  Wahoo, I love free!  I have three strawberry plants, so I am feeling the pinch to get these cold hardy plants in the garden. 

The chickies are still doing great.  Hub created a top for the bin with the bin lid cut out in the middle and covered with chicken wire.  The little darlings are flapping like crazy.  I brought them more crickets today and had a ball watching the free-for-all.  They are so entertaining. 

I am off now to hang my first load of laundry on my new clothesline.  No dryer today, I'll let nature do it for me!