As a perfect example of a liberal arts major doing math, last year at this time the title of my blogiversary post was Slowly She Turned Turns Two.

That was my first anniversary. Today, Slowly She Turned really turns two years old. This past weekend it passed the 30,000 mark for visitors, including visits to my old place before the move to my own domain in early October.

Other than the big move from Blogger, I’d say that the other highlights of the year were the expansion of the Back Forty, adventures in Community Gardening, a month of eating locally during the Eat Local Challenge, and of course, my trip to Italy.

From my first post I intended for this to be a chronicle of my garden and the changes in my life as I moved toward a simpler way of living. It has turned into more - a playground for my mind, a release for my stress, and a creative outlet for my soul. I never expected to make friends along the way, which has made it a healing place for my heart.

Thank you for walking with me on my journey. The pleasure of your company has enriched my life.

Little by little, the compost pile in the front gets smaller as the beds in the back get blacker. We’ll have to start piling it up in the back soon for future use.

The hoses on my rain barrels have finally thawed out and I’m finding that they are clogged up with algae. I was able to get the clogs out and I figure that it probably adds some nutrients to the water.

I planted just a few seeds of the mild mustard mix in the first raised bed. It is totally planted and most of the seeds are coming up now.

In the greenhouse, I planted another round of lettuce: Buttercrunch Bibb, Black seeded Simpson, and Red Oakleaf.

In the raised frames next to the fence I planted Sugar Ann Sugar Snap Peas. I noticed that the compost was very dry here, and I may have to water these more often.

Back beside the fava beans (who are looking very bedraggled) I planted “Little Marvel” peas. The leeks that I planted in the fall are looking marvelous!

Near the front of the center bed, I planted “Lincoln” peas. I built an odd connected triple teepee structure out of old tobacco sticks for supports. Sandy said that he liked it, with the tone suggesting the next question. I asked him what he didn’t like, and he said the papers scattered over the ground. I can understand that - over the winter, animals have scratched around in the straw mulch and made some mess, loosening the bottom layer of newspapers. But all we need to do is remulch those areas with straw or compost. He was satisfied with that.

The winter garden is not going to look pretty. I have to put covers over the beds for cold protection. Even when they haven’t been planted I cover them to keep cats and squirrels out of my beds until the plants come up enough to look a little less inviting for digging. I use a lot of recycled materials such as cardboard and soda bottles. But later it will all be worth it.

I’m so relaxed and content sitting here this morning, coffee in hand, my marmalade baby in my lap purring, that I don’t want to get up from this seat and do anything else.

Squ!rt has been particularly sweet and loving lately. In the last few days, he has rediscovered the aquarium. Really, if I could, I would take Squ!rt with me everywhere I went. I enjoy his company that much. There’s a reason why I call him my little Buddha kitty. He brings me peace.

Yesterday, an interesting thing happened. A young woman, who is probably exactly half my age, called me “Miss Laurie.” She then referred to another staff member in the office as “Miss” and used her first name. She was not kidding - it was obvious that she had been brought up in the same tradition as I was, which is to refer to older adults that you feel comfortable with by their first names, but using the title “Miss” or “Mr” first to be respectful. I haven’t heard that much since I’ve lived in Greensboro, and I think that it may have been the first time that I’ve been seriously addressed that way. My friends always called my parents “Miss” Willye Kate and Mr. T.C., and my mother’s friends were “Miss” Marie and “Miss” Irene. It didn’t matter if you were married. I guess that it is an old-fashioned thing now.

I don’t know why, but entering the ranks of “Miss” made me feel very good.

I guess I’ll have to get up from this peaceful place and go out into the world. It is supposed to rain tomorrow, so I want to get compost moved and seeds planted. First I’ll go to the Greensboro Farmer’s Curb Market, as always, and pick up my groceries for the week. Later this weekend, maybe today, I’ll write a Back Forty update.

Just watched Little Miss Sunshine and laughed til I cried.

Whew. I’ve been seriously fatigued for the last few days, and I honestly don’t know exactly what’s wrong with me. I feel a little better tonight, but I’m still looking forward to getting into bed.

Part of what made me feel better emotionally, at least, was the Slow Food Piedmont Triad meeting in Winston Salem last night. That was a great group of folks.

The other part is that I got word about the Spannocchia class. Susanne is going to teach the class both this summer and next summer. So I have more time to save up for it. It’s a bit chancy, but I’ve calmed down about it with time and feel like I won’t explode if I don’t go!

Just before I had my little $515 dollar lunch on Tuesday, I registered for the hatmaking/inkle weaving class at John C. Campbell Folk School the week before Easter. Every time I think about it I smile. Anybody care to join me in making Easter bonnets?

Coming off a day in bed fighting migraines, I went back to work yesterday a little shaky and against my better judgement went to a lunch meeting downtown. When I left, I backed into a car in the parking lot. This is why I won’t buy a silver or white car. You can’t see them!

It was entirely my fault. The man was kind enough that we didn’t involve the insurance companies and I’m going to meet him today to pay him cash. That’s $500 gone from the Italy/new car fund.

It makes me more determined to get rid of the Rodeo this year. I’m not used to driving it and I swear that I looked behind me before backing out. Gah!

I checked under my plastic-covered tunnel yesterday, and all the greens that I planted Jan. 27 are coming up.

I started over inside to replace the seedlings I lost when I moved them to the greenhouse last weekend. That would be:

Broccoli de Cicco
Broccoli Blend (Fedco)
Brussels Sprouts “Oliver”
Fennel “Perfection”
Cabbage “Early Jersey Wakefield”
Kale “Early Siberian Curled”
Artichoke “Imperial Star” (only one seed left)
Chard, Ruby
Chard, Golden
Dill “Mammoth”

I filled in the holes where tomato seeds didn’t germinate with more of the same, except that I put in a couple of Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifters and added more of the mystery heirloom tomato mix from Fedco since I ran out of Roma seeds.

I received the Pinetree seed catalog yesterday, and I was impressed with their prices. Several people have recommended Pinetree to me. Although I’m happy with Fedco, I may order sorrel, which Fedco was out of, purple Italian artichokes, and paprika peppers, as Liz convinced me to do. I have a food dehydrator and I’m ready.

Tomorrow I’ll yank the plastic covers from the raised beds since it is supposed to get above freezing and maybe rain this week. Hopefully I’ll remember to plant my peas this week, along with more lettuce and spinach. Maybe some mustard mix.

Thank you everyone, for your emails, phone calls, cards, and comments this week. I really feel like I am blessed.

My mother sent me this studio photo of me as a baby yesterday. You’d never know what a little terror I was! In her note, Mama said that the doctor who delivered me captioned it in his scrapbook with “What has Liz Taylor got that she hasn’t got?” What a wonderful present!

Sandy gave me a coffee bean grinder - I’ve come a long way from drinking instant coffee now! What’s next - a French press? I do miss the little instant coffee jars. They came in handy for a lot of things. But I don’t miss the instant coffee. I have evolved.

Then Sandy took me out to eat at Bert’s Seafood Grille last night, which is always terrific. I took my camera along and then forgot to take any photos - oh well! He had crab cakes and I had blackened puppy drum with cucumber raita, salad, roasted root vegetables, and cheesy grits. Both entrees were notated that the source was North Carolina, so I feel like I ate partly, and maybe wholely local. I do know that they buy produce locally or grow their own now, but I didn’t find out by asking myself - they never answered my questions in person or by email when I tried to find out during the Eat Local Challenge last year. They did answer questions for the Slow Food Local Food Guide so maybe it’s all in who asks. Here’s the entry for them:

“Coastal fish from Carolina’s Catch and cheese from Goat Lady Dairy. Buys organic fruit and vegetables. Makes preserves and hot sauces from garden produce. Has own garden that grows vegetables and herbs. Display grape vines of wine-grape varieties. Seasonal menu.”

Mmmmmm. Bert’s is one of those places reserved for special occasions for us.

I never see drum on menus, so I ordered it in honor of my father on my birthday. Daddy was a renowned fisherman and drum was his specialty. I ate so much drum growing up that I took it for granted and didn’t eat fish for years after I became an adult. Of course, we always ate it fried, and this was blackened, but the memory of the distinct taste still came back to me as I ate at Bert’s last night.

It’s funny the things that you come back to after refusing them or complaining about them as a child. I used to hate butterbeans, too.

I just don’t know what to do with myself today. Other than do my regular routine of going to the Greensboro Farmers’ Curb Market and then other small errands, such as to Deep Roots and the drug store. I’m saving seed-starting for tomorrow. I guess I could wheelbarrow some more compost and dig up mint. Sandy is taking me out to eat tonight.

The reason that I feel that I ought to do something special today is that it is my 46th birthday. My hope is that I take after the Jones women in my family, who tend to live active lives into their nineties, or at least stay healthy enough to live on their own. So if the average is say, 90, then I guess that I am officially over the hill!

That’s it - maybe I should take a hike.

On Valentine’s Day night, I called my mother several times and finally got in touch with her at 9 p.m. I kidded her and asked her if she was out courting. She replied back that yes, the women at her church cooked dinner for the men of the church on Valentine’s Day each year and she brought somebody home. Now, knowing my mother, I should not have been surprised when she cut off the conversation ten minutes later because she did have company. My mother, 83 and dating a younger man. I’m so proud. It’s those Jones’ genes, I’m telling ya.

Even though I was eager to plant all my seed-starting trays over again after losing my “hardy” seedlings this past weekend, I decided to restrain myself and wait until the moon was right for leafy annuals. It won’t be long now - the new moon is on Saturday. I don’t know much about biodynamics and generally feel that it’s too complicated for my life, but within an email I received last night, a biodynamic farmer happened to mention that on Saturday, before 10 am was a good time to start root vegetables, and after 10 am was a good time to plant flowers that day. Not broccoli or any other vegetable that you do not want to bolt to flower early.

Basically, I try to remember this general rule when I do try to garden by the moon - root growth is enhanced by the waning moon, the period between the full moon lessening to the new moon. I visualize it as the moon pulling down the roots as it goes down, although that is not at all an accurate statement, just a visual memory helper. The opposite is leafy growth and it is enhanced by the moon waxing, the period between the new moon “growing” to become the full moon. Again, my visual helper is the the moon pulls the plants up as it grows.

Of course, I work full time and have a lot of other things going on, so if my personal calendar doesn’t allow me to garden by the moon, I plant when I can or when I must.

Fortunately I had other seeds already planted inside when the seed fiasco happened outside. Leeks, eggplants, and tomatoes are coming up now. I already had hollyhocks, cardoons, and basil inside.

The Roma tomatoes did not germinate well, but they were rather old seeds and I used my own potting mix, which proved to be difficult to thoroughly moisten. I do have two Romas, five Amish Paste (same age), and the Pineapple tomatoes from Fedco are vigorously coming up!