Winter's Last Stand

We have actually had a very mild and manageable winter in Vancouver this year.  I think there was only once it snowed enough to shovel the driveway, and there were a few weeks where it was bitterly cold.  With signs of spring already popping out of the ground, it was a chance for Winter to make its last stand today.

This is the back yard after snowing for a while during the day.  It has continued to snow, and snow is in the forecast for tomorrow also.  But I think this will not last long, and Spring will soon conquer.

If you follow this blog at all, you'll notice that my posts have been noticeably absent lately.  Although I have been in a garden occasionally, I have not been very diligent about carrying my camera with me, so don't have much to show.  And for the most part, my attention has been elsewhere.  For one, I have been putting in many hours on the fursuit for my 15-year-old.  But after my first few posts (e.g. this one with the paws and tail) he has asked me not to post any of my many photos until we are completely done, which will be by next weekend since Vancoufur 2014 starts on Thursday already!  We are feverishly finishing his fursuit, and I will be happy to post after the conference.

I've also been heavy into my ceramics, which I am thoroughly enjoying.  I am posting quite regularly to my ceramics blog, but here is a few teaser photos :

In terms of indoor gardening, I've gotten hooked recently on sprouting seeds for eating (mostly in wraps).  I tried all sorts of seeds, including lentils, fenugreek, and quinoa, before buying some alfalfa seeds.  They have been the most satisfying, producing a large volume of sprouts from a very tiny amount of seeds, and in a very short timeframe.  For example, this is a jar of alfalfa only 3 days after soaking!!  I was able to harvest some already after only 2 days :

I look forward to Spring, spending more time with my garden, and posting more photos to this blog.