Happy New Year- Snow! January 3, 2016

The surprise this morning is the first snowfall of the current fall-winter seasons.  In view out the back window, huddled under a tree-

Today I am linking with-

Today's flowers hosted by Denise

Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen

I'd Rather B' Birdin' hosted by Hootin' Anni'

In a Vase on Monday hosted by Cathy

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma and Mystical Magical Teacher

A rarely-sighted bird visited for some seed last week, a Varied Thrush, Ixoreus naevius, what a name.  Pardon the window glare.  Similar in size to an American robin, and with my favorite rusty peach and bluish grey coloring-

Last year I enjoyed a new bloghop that added a new dimension to my gardening, a challenge by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden to go looking for flowers and foliage to put in a vase.  For this Monday, I looked outside and found some Nandina berries still clinging to the icy bloom stalks, and stuck them in some snow in an iridescent bowl and horse set I inherited from my Swedish Mother-in-Law.

I'm also featuring a sampling of my vases from last year, and more next week-

Daughter's teapot

My pinched vase

Mt. St. Helen's ash ball-

Blue glass vase-

Antique globe with my DIL's pottery cup-

My handmade slab vase-

My handmade slab pinched vase-

Glass swirled knobby vase-

My handmade slab pinched vase-

My winter gardening activites are planting seeds under lights for flowers I want to grow next year, hoping at least some will bloom this year, though some may wait until next year to bloom.  Gaillardias, Platycodon, Dahlias, 

Lunaria, getting the biggest fastest and needing transplanting soon-

Streptocarpus- what a surprise to see a few smaller than 1 mm, plus Asters, Echinacea, and Salvia-

I have 3 shelf set-ups for starting seedlings, they are made from 3-shelf metal units which hold 4 standard 10 x 20" nursery flats.  I suspend 4' fluorescent light fixtures from the top and middle shelf,  and the seedlings can grow about 11" until they hit the lights.  The nursery flats each hold rows of 4 x 9 rose pots which are 2.25" square, = 36 plants x 4 flats= 144 plants per shelf unit x 3 units = potentially 432 seedlings.  I don't want to start that many plants, but in a couple of past years I have actually needed all the shelves plus had overflow.  If I transplant to 4" pots the flat holds fewer plants.

I hope you had a fun and meaningful New Year's Eve, I spent the evening with my 5 local grandkids and niece's family with one great-niece, and then went home before midnight to see the New Year in with the Motorcyclist.  -Hannah

My wish for the New Year-

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