No snow!

Because it's spring! I know it's early, but the Canada geese are honking so, and I believe them.

Savvy says she's ready for spring and green grass and garden stuff.

Warning: Old person may discuss health problems. Deal with it.

So I've been not blogging because I was obsessing about health stuff, and who wants to read that? Not even me. (And thank you, dear reader, for not complaining.) But I like to blog, dammit, and if I start to wallow in heath worries, you can stop reading and send me a snarky comment. And I'll pull it together.

About the health stuff: one neurologist said multiple sclerosis, my naturopath says B12 deficiency. I vote with the naturopath, and am taking B12, D, and lots of other supplements. So far, any improvements have been small or subtle or nonexistent. It could be a long, slow process and I will persist. (If I give up I can always go to the MS clinic, where they admit they can't do a damn thing for primary progressive MS but probably have support groups so we can sit in a circle and talk about we used to be able to walk and hike and put our pants on...) I do get pissed when I think about all the doctors I've seen (including my GP) who rush with enthusiasm to diagnose MS, and refuse to even test for B12. Same. Exact. Symptoms. They can confirm B12 with a good blood test - not the standard inferior serum test - versus multiple MRIs and spinal taps and conjecture for MS. What's wrong with the American medical system? (maniacal laughter) And the outlook for B12 deficiency is a complete cure, if you don't wait too long. Neurological damage can become permanent if you delay B12 treatment. And who just wasted two years going to doctors and neurologists and surgeons? Hmmm? Feh. OK, I'm done with my medical kvetching. But it wouldn't hurt you to take a good B-vitamin supplement, just in case. (And take the methylcobalamin B12 sublingual from Superior Source. B12 source  The cyancobalamin kind is crap.) You can't overdose on B12, but a deficiency can cripple and even kill you. Word.

Your doctor won't take care of you (unless you have the trendy disease of the moment.) You have to do it yourself.

Back to the farm

So…

We've got seed-starting on the agenda for the weekend – onions, I think. I've inventoried the leftover seeds and we'll need to order a few things before the end of the month. We're planning the perfect garden, of course. Plants started earlier, water systems better, paths wider! We want to grow more sunflowers (the rabbits love the dried seed heads in the winter) and green beans (the deer ate too many last year) and amaranth (chicken feed in the winter) and greens (we could use many more barrels of dried kale and such for rabbit hay), and maybe fewer cucumbers (we have many many jars of pickles still) and tomatoes (ditto).

Losses over the winter include Buzzy the black hen and two – three? – guineas. The little grey hen is named Dovey, and she is laying lovely blue eggs. We need to get a nice rooster to protect her from her evil Aunt Henley. And more hens, too.

Looking forward to a new year!