The tulips, daffs and Tommies have started coming up for about a week. The temps have been in the 60's and 70's for the past week and we only have one night in the forecast of 32* for the next ten days. It's still February though so don't get in too much of a rush! Patience, planning and persistence is the order of the season.
Shorty and I started bell peppers and jalapenos 2/19 and have them on heat mat under the grow lights. Either this weekend or next weekend we will start tomatoes. I haven't decided quite yet. I want massive amounts of peppers and tomatoes to freeze and can this year. We eat a lot of those.
I need to get all my houseplants out from under the grow lights and resituated through the house so I can have space for all my seed starting to grow in the next couple of weeks! A lot of the house plants will go outside under the barn porch for the summer when it is time.
I need to get the rest of my planting mapped out for the season because this is going to be hugely different gardening season than ever since I put my notice in at my job. If finances permit, I am going into retirement and food production and preservation will be my new job 
There is so so much to do! If Shorty can't get the new beds built I will have to plant in ground and battle the stickers and the bermuda all season. He's also building me a garden shed out in the garden as well. I need the beds first. This weekend is the big push to get started on building them and then we will have to go to the city for raised bed mix to put in them. $$$ 
We are doing the hügelkultur method in these raised beds since it worked well in the long bed in front of the barn porch we built last year. Plus it's so much more economical than filling an entire 21" high raised bed with soil. Plus water retention is good in hügelkultur. We need that since we have sand. It's like a beach out there. Plus, sand eats compost for breakfast and is hungry by noon. I don't want to feed that beast!
We are planning on getting chickens this year! So, we have to build the chicken run and coop as well. Oh my. Can we get it all done this year? I don't know. It seems like too much. When Shorty gets in the mood, though, he can do a lot and spring fever is hitting him as well as me. We will prioritize and do what we can.
We went out and did another walkabout in the back last night after work to look at all the beds and trees. Everything seems to be doing really well since we had a mild winter except for the couple of weeks when it was absolutely frigid outside. I don't think I lost anything except the Fluffy arb I planted late in the season. He didn't have time to get established. User error on my part. We had to water everything.
This evening we will walkabout in the front acreage and see what is coming up and what's is leafing out. 
The deer have been using our little trees for rubs and a deer took the top off the little blue spruce. I found the top of it laying on the berm amongst the tulips.
Dang deer. They need to be in my freezer.
I have seen a lot of rabbits, too. The coyotes have been pretty close to the house and Red shot a skunk that got into a tussle with Pee Wee on the front step of Sis and Red's porch yesterday morning. Broad daylight. Pee Wee is fine. No bite marks and no scratches that Sis and Red could find. I am glad he is current on his shots!
I am excited about this year! It's going to be so much fun and so much work and I am going to love it!
Quitting this stressful job makes me feel like I can live again. Yesterday evening when I was making dinner I told Shorty that I feel like I am coming home after a long time away. It seems like I haven't quite been home since April 12, 2018 when the wildfire wiped us out. I love the new house so much more than the one we lost but it just hasn't been homey yet. I am getting there!
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