Of Things Indoors

As beautiful a day as it was outdoors, my focus necessarily had to be indoors today.  Among my tasks was getting vegetable seeds started, at which I spent a pleasurable afternoon.  Peppers, tomatoes, melons and sorrel (new for me this year; I saw a recipe for sorrel soup that intrigued me) now grace the top tiers of the benches in my little conservatory.  My hope is that while I'm away, they'll spring forth and manage to survive in their plastic-domed prison until I return to liberate them.  It took longer than I expected, mainly because I was frequently distracted by our two cats, Emerson and Calypso.  It seems that an annoyingly persistent robin has determined to build a nest on top of one of our living room windows, and the cats spent long stretches of the day attentively watching the bird's comings and goings.  Sometimes gazing upward out the window in rapt attention, sometimes crouching in attack mode, they wanted to get that birdie in the worst way - and their frustration provided us with some good laughs. When I finally finished up in the late afternoon, I couldn't resist any more - I had to get outside. The arrival of the paper furnished me with a good excuse, so before I went out to the box I took a quick tour of inspection around the yard.  As the crocus and striped squill are fading, the Lenten roses and earliest narcissus are taking their places - and of course the violets just keep coming on.  I was less pleased to see that the newly seeded beds of sweet peas, peas and lettuce are getting dry and crusted, and less pleased still to learn that no rain is expected for at least the next week.  And I won't be here to water.  Guess I should have stayed indoors.......