So excited to have a resident bat!

Isn't he adorable?  He showed up yesterday and attached himself to the side of our garage - doesn't even seem phased by the door opening and closing. 

Why am I so excited to have a bat living on my garage?  Well, truth be told, I'd be happier if he was in my garden - but on my garage is pretty good.  I may have to put up a bat house in the garden to make him more comfortable and to attract some of his friends.  I am excited because bats eat insects - insects that eat my plants.  Heaven knows I have plenty of Japanese Beetles that he can eat! 

Making Raspberry Ice Cubes

One of the many ways I use my raspberries is to make Raspberry Ice Cubes.  I have so many raspberries this year - so many! 

I run my raspberries through my food strainer attachment on my kitchen aide because I don't like seeds in my smoothies or raspberry ice tea.  Then you can just ladle the juice into ice cube trays or you can sweeten it a little first with the sweetener of your choice.  When they are frozen, I just pop them out and store them in a baggie in the freezer. 

They are so easy to use to make smoothies or to add to your ice tea instead of regular ice cubes.  My son likes to suck on them like a Popsicle.

Look what I saw when I opened my curtains this morning!

My plum tree in full bloom! In previous years, it bloomed in Mid-May and Mid-April - so this is the earliest it has ever bloomed! Another sign that Spring is here to stay!

Spring caught me by surprise this year!

It is still March, normally in Minnesota that means spring is still a ways off, but not this year.

I usually start my seedlings indoors the weekend before St. Patrick's Day and then they are the perfect size for my garden when spring does arrive - not this year.

By the time St. Patrick's Day came this year, spring had already sprung and I wasn't ready. So I'm not starting any seedlings this year for the first time in years. Luckily my local food co-op, Mississippi Market Natural Foods, always has a spring plant sale where I know I can get the same kind of plants I would have started myself.

Normally when we have a stretch of warm weather like this I wouldn't call it spring yet - we get plenty of snow here in Minnesota at this time of year - however, in addition to the warm weather, the signs are all there - trees are leafing out, grass is growing (one neighbor actually mowed her lawn today), the tulips and daffodils are in bloom. The Canadian geese are flying through and the robins have returned. Spring has sprung.

Please someone leave a comment and let me know that I'm not the only one who didn't start plants this year.

Happy Spring!