comment moderation: oh

Wow. I just found a 3-month long queue of comments waiting to be moderated. I may have forgotten I turned it on. And here I was thinking nobody read my blog or loved me. Whoops.

Thanks for the helpful tips regarding the garden: what I've been doing so far is starting seedlings in my study under a big skylight, then putting them outside when I (hope) think that they're big enough to fend for themselves. I've got several tomatoes and aubergines out in the ground, and so far I haven't exactly murdered anything.

Since the beginning of April I've noticed that the sun was reaching the ground over the fence in the morning and has been staying there at least half of the day. We had a good two weeks of warmth and sunshine in the middle of the month (I went out without a jacket one day!) and, hopeful and excited, I put a bunch of plants out. As of this past weekend, however, it's returned to early March conditions--cold, cloudy, and bleurgh--and the more delicate plants got a bit of a shock. I went out and apologised with tomato fertilizer and stakes and they're perking up a little.

I've been chasing caterpillars and snails away from my edible leaves--Lisa, I had no idea how much of a blight they are until I started gardening in this climate! Guh-Ross. At least snails come with handles. I've been keeping the concrete around my potted plants unappealingly salty and it seems to be keeping them at bay. I don't know if that's a tested method or not. Any recommendations for keeping munching bugs away? I don't have much money for fancy nets, chemicals, or laser beams, and want to be sure my spinach will still be edible for humans.

My soil is fairly penetrable for roots and spades and is pretty wormy, so I think the kids will be able to spread out and get comfortable. I have a beautiful burst of bluebells in bloom, but the minute their show ends I intend to pull them and leave more room for growth. They spread like wildfire and I'm sure I won't catch them all, so I'm not hugely bothered about preventing their performance next year.

The potato plants are huge. I should probably look and see what to do with them soon. They seem very happy both in their gro-bag and the ground, and seem to be about an inch taller and leafier every few minutes. No flowers yet, but awesome.

I've started some cilantro and basil in the study. My mom said she'll be impressed if I can get basil to succeed from seed. I'm not sure what will make it difficult, but they look like they're working hard at getting bigger. Aww.

----

I'm glad you don't remember the ring going missing. We tried to remain calm. I eventually found it in its little box, in its little muslin bag, in a black bodega bag filled mostly with crumpled receipts and snipped pricetags at the end of mom's bed. (Ben and Ben turned the house inside-out looking for it. Amusingly mine went up to the game room in search of it and found uncle Chet, hat-over-eyes, hiding out. He lifted the hat, asked, "what's gone wrong now?" and, informed of the ring, neatly replaced it.)

----

I've gone through the house and filled every mouse-sized hole and gap I've been able to find and cleaned up the poop. There's one area in the back of the closet-under-the-stairs where the floorboards miss the wall by about two inches all the way across, and i've been unsuccessful in my attempts to cover it, so I resorted to traps, and eventually poison--I don't think I've killed any (these mice have been around this house longer than I have and have defeated other occupants) but I think it may serve as an un-welcome-mat.

----

School has been insane. I'm not entirely sure what I'm studying anymore. I want to hide. More specifically, I want to hide in a prop shop and spend a month making fake trees and breakaway furniture and try to think about what I want out of my education.

----

Ben makes good corn bread...for a limey.