Spring at last

Spring at last! It is about 60 degrees and sunny today and feels absolutely wonderful. I brought my Thessaloniki buddy out for some sunshine on the deck. It's getting huge! I am tempted to put some out now with those wall-o-water things, but my concern is not the air temperature, but the soil. The ground is still pretty cold, and I don't want to shock them. I may try it with one of the smaller ones I'm not so attached to at this point. I also managed (at least it seems) to root some hydrangea cuttings from my bush out front. I was doing a careful pruning after the snow melted. There has been so much damage after that storm, it's amazing. You have to be really careful when pruning hydrangeas because the flowers are on the ends, and if you prune too much, it won't bloom at all. Last year I pruned out a lot of old dead wood and old canes from it, and it did have a lot of new growth. However, the new growth was pretty thin, so it was very floppy last summer and bent over with the weight of the flowers. Hopefully this summer it will be stronger. I've been mulching it with compost, coffee grounds (from Starbucks) and pine needles, so it should give the soil that added bit of acidity. I'm curious to see if the blooms are bluer this summer.

I ordered my vermiculite, it should be here in a day or two. They are coming to pick up the car today, I am thrilled!!! I am still kicking around the idea of putting in a fountain in the front yard this spring, but I am trying to keep the expenses to a minimum and I'm not sure if this year is the year to do it. I already have a great pot for it, I just need a few more items. I want to build one that is just a splash fountain sitting on pebbles, with an underground reservoir rather than a pool of water. I also have the issue of getting power out to it. I guess I could do solar, but I like the idea of listening to the water at night.

Went to the gym this morning and kicked my own ass again. I did 33 minutes on the elliptical and then did my circuit. I think I'm going to give my arms a break tomorrow though, they feel like rubber. Then I sat in the sauna like a lizard on a rock. I love the sauna. Bring on the HEAT!
Anyway, off to research preschools...