Tomato seedlings a growin'

So, the tomato seedlings are up! Faster than I thought, actually. I have discovered the seedling heat mat is absolutely KEY to starting anything inside. It has made a huge, huge difference. I balked at the cost of it at first, but now I'd never go without it. The only problem with starting these tomatoes so early is that now I'll have to pot them up into bigger pots before they can go outside, which takes up a lot of room. I borrowed a fluorescent light from work which I now have hanging over the seedling tray on the dining room table. I am proud of myself, I have been keeping meticulous records so I know exactly which tomatoes are which, when I planted them, etc. If I lost track, it would be disastrous. I am definitely looking forward to starting some kale and some peas in a few weeks.

I've been looking around on Etsy, and I think I may try and sell some of my fish mosaic projects. They are just sitting in the basement right now, and I could use the cash. It's one of those things that when you're just learning to do something, as you get better and look back on stuff you've already done, all you notice is the things you'd change if you could do it again. That's kind of where I am with the mosaics in the basement. They look great, I'm happy with them, but I know I'd just fixate on problems if I put them up. Now that I have the hammer and hardie and the smalti, I don't think I can go back to the old way I was doing things. Smalti just allows you so much more freedom with detail and texture, and you can work on a smaller scale. A plus for space as well as cost of materials.

I am still working my way through The Omnivore's Dilemma. It is really amazing to learn about this stuff; the whole industrialized food system is just so awful. It really isn't good for anyone except for corporate executives. It really does make me want to be more conscious of what I eat, and where it comes from. I was at Giant yesterday, and I almost bought a mango; I was looking at it, and it had a sticker on it that said "product of Peru." It's just incredible to me to think that this piece of fruit has traveled thousands of miles to be in this store right now. Not only is it picked when it's green and rock hard, how much fossil fuel has been expended to get it to me? It's crazy when you start to think about it all.