Warm weather ahead

Well, there's nothing like Missouri.  This spring most of our temperatures have been cooler than normal.  Now it looks like Mother Nature is going to flip the switch and give us instant summer next week, with temps in the 90's.  You have to love Mother Nature, who thinks it's a joke to leave spring weather entirely out of the picture, going directly from winter to summer instead.

We have been getting plenty of rain, so that's a good thing.  I could pick some spinach from the garden today, but I'd be sinking up to my knees in the process, so I'll wait.  There are radishes ready, too, and Cliff is happy about that.  Meanwhile, the pepper and tomato plants are the same size as when I put them out there because they are pouting from the cold.  No worries:  When those 90 degree temps appear three days from now, they will grow rapidly.  

They look a little raggedy, but they'll be fine.  I hope.

I received my twelve sweet potato plants yesterday, with directions not to plant them in the ground until temperatures are over 55°.  Tonight's low is 52, and Friday night is to be down in the 40's.  My gut tells me I could probably get away with planting them now, but I think I'll wait until Saturday.  Meanwhile I wrapped wet paper towels around the roots as directed, since they aren't supposed to sit in water; the leaves aren't supposed to be in contact with the wrapping or water at all.  I'll probably, even then, have to mud them in from the looks of things.

We had a skillet full of morel mushrooms yesterday noon, and for breakfast today, scrambled eggs with onion and morels, wrapped in a tortilla with a little picante sauce and cheese added.  That's such a filling breakfast, I told Cliff we'll eat dinner at 1 P.M. rather than noon.  I probably won't be very hungry even then.  The grandson has been very generous with mushrooms this year; he's found most of them on days when the temperatures were in the 50's and nights in the 40's.  I had my best luck finding them in just such a year:  wet, cool, and cloudy... I think it may have been 1994, but don't hold me to that.  I recall wearing coats when I hunted for them that year; one time I found so many they wouldn't all go in my bag, so I took off my coat and carried them bundled in that, and passed some around to neighbors.  Our place, as I've said, is mushroom heaven.  

I need to ride the recumbent bike today, since I skipped yesterday.  My knees aren't up to taking a walk, even if it wasn't wet and muddy outside.  Other than that, except for the time I'm cooking dinner and washing dishes, I'll probably be reading.

I had some parsley come my way yesterday, so since my current kitchen stove has a dehydrate setting, I dried some parsley just for fun.  It took very little time and the leaves were dried to crunchy perfection.  I've never done any dehydrating before, but I'm thinking maybe next year I might try dehydrating morel mushrooms.

OK, it's time for me to do something useful.  Whatever your weather, find something good about this day, for you'll never have another chance to experience these 24 hours.  Each day comes with its own blessings.

Peace.