Yes, we love our babies and those grandbabies are just the best…and….it’s spring! There are lots of babies to love these days. I wonder around the yard with my cup of tea seeking out all the new growth. On a warm morning after a fierce lightening storm overnight, everything has just popped. The miniature leaves on the bushes and trees are unfolding before my eyes. The flowers spring up as if they have been sleeping right under the earth, just waiting for this very moment to be born. The long cold winter has its rewards.

The herbs I’ve planted in the flats are nestled in the basement keeping warm and brightly lit with fluorescents for 16 hours a day, on timers. They are just the cutest. They will stay put for a couple more weeks until the weather settles a bit more. The first week in May they will start their venture into the real world of cooler breezes and brighter sunlight with a hardening off period. “Tuff Love” in the plant world.  After being warm and cozy with consistent light and humidity for so many weeks, it would be a shock to go right out into the garden. A trip to the porch for some dappled light will be their first introduction to the outdoor life. In the evening I will bring them back into the house to line the dining room table for a warm night indoors. Next day, it’s back out on the porch. This will go on for a few days until they can stay out all night. Then the gradual move to more sun. This conditioning will give the little babies some stability before they have to endure real life in the garden. Baby steps all the way.