February 3. It is another cold day but quite sunny. It’s been around -25℃ most of the day. The greenhouse got up to 4.7℃ today. It is -3.3℃ now at 5:37. I should start thinking about preparing the beds for seeding some spinach soon. Last spring it was almost too warm for them by late March. I’ve started some pepper and eggplant seeds in wet paper towel. They’re starting to germinate. I can’t remember if it’s a week or more ago that I started them. I have to remember to write these things down.
I was feeling tired and listless but after tapping a paragraph, I’m feeling better. I think I am working too hard on my watercolour class this week. I’m a bit sick of working on the little monk. It’s mostly finished and overworked. I’ve packed it away. I hope I can leave it packed. Sometimes I get obsessed and can’t leave things alone. I shall see what Alison have to say about it on Saturday. I tried to relax by watching Inspector Wexford. I couldn’t find a new episode so it’s not a rest for me. It’s better if I just mutter here. The tapping is unwinding me and helps me problem solve.
The two cucumber plants I’ve started in the fall are still alive. They are not exactly thriving. I should trot my butt downstairs and transplant them and give them a bit of fertilizer. Who knows. They might thrive and I can plant them in the greenhouse in March. Last year I had cucumbers and tomatoes planted March 9th. Most of them survived without supplement heat but with lots of covers. Last fall we’ve added a little electric heater for those frosty nights. Things should work out much better with less manual labour. The Black Krim tomato I started from a cutting last fall is doing well. It could use a transplant and a feed, too.
February 4. Another cold day at 31℃ this morning. It is almost 9. The greenhouse is sitting at -18.3℃. I don’t expect it to get above 0 as no sun in the forecast. I am feeling fine. My bum ankle and leg are better after I started taking a calcium/magnesium supplement. It could be coincidental or a placebo effect. Whatever the reason, I’m glad for it. Everything does look better in the morning. Sleeping through most of the night also helps . I’ve curbed my fluid intake after supper. Getting up every couple of hours was disturbing my sleep. Last night I only got up once at 5 am. Six hours of uninterrupted zzz is wonderful, even though I couldn’t get more. Sometimes you have to take what you can get.
I did get my cucumbers and tomato repotted yesterday. Now I wait for them to thrive. I will have to start some early tomatoes for the greenhouse. We finished all our longkeeper tomatoes in mid January. It was pretty fantastic to have fresh fried tomatoes with our eggs every morning till then. The goal now is to get some early spring tomatoes. Is May/June too ambitious? We will have to wait and see. Meanwhile I have to dig out my saved Red Alert tomato seeds and get them going. They’re supposed to take 50-55 days to mature from transplanting.
onethousandandtwo 
I think it’s a great idea tot “journal” your planting activities. There’s probably a lot to learn from it. Your tomatoes look fantastic. Do you also grow herbs? This was always my dream for when I was going to transfer from career woman to stay at home mom: to have my own little herbs garden. Well, I started with basil, and it kept dying on me 😦
Thank you, Tamara. Yes, I do grow herbs. In fact the painting is of my little monk overlooking the herb spiral. Last summer was great for basil. I harvested lots and dried some in the fall. They can be finicky sometimes though. So try again. They didn’t do as well in pots as in the ground for me. Sometimes maybe it is an overwatering issue. Try again in different spots and see how they do.
That sentence you write “I was feeling tired and listless but after tapping a paragraph, I am feeling better” is really what comes through your blog right from the start when I began reading your words. How journalling or blogging as a kind of journal really helps. It is so encouraging to read how you overcome with activity and attention the ruminating and impatience that you share can be problematic for your sense of peace. I love your buddha painting. How frustrating that there were no new Inspector Wexford episodes to relax but glad you came to tap today and show all your hard work with growing and also shared your plans for growing. Hope you continue to get some good sleep too.
Thank you, Jan.