I wasn’t expecting any of this today. While putzing around the place, I stumbled upon a pink rhododendron in full bloom. It wasn’t that many days when I said, “This is going to bloom soon.” Wow! And now it is.

Deep in the, woods while going to check on what the dogs were so ferociously barking at, I came face to face with a pink trillium. A little further on, white trilliums. I may not have ever seen that pink trillium were it not for whatever invading creature set the dogs off. They say, “Learn something new every day.” I say, “Be surprised every day.” When the dogs bark, go on an adventure.

The moment I stepped outdoors this morning, it felt different. The morning chill was gone. The misty air was soft and comforting. The mist lifted, the sun came out, and the air warmed all morning and afternoon, topping out at 70ºF. Today was the warmest day of the year so far, the first 70ºF day of 2015.

This is my idea of fast food. Around here, going out into the garden and seeing what’s for dinner, is fast food. I can have supper on the table faster than it takes to go through the drive-through at many fast food joints, let alone drive there and back. Who knew fast food could be so good.

The last of the potatoes will be going into the ground this week. Few things look as drab as a pile of seed potatoes destined for the soil. As I cut the seed potatoes, I close my eye and envision rows of blooming potato plants. The purple potatoes have purple flowers, the rose potatoes have pink flowers, and the yellow potatoes have white flowers. The first time I saw a potato plant bloom, I was so surprised. I had no idea they bloomed or were so beautiful. Based on how many potatoes I am planting, I may harvest a ton of potatoes by the end of the season.

What aren’t drab are the silicone baking cups I got today. In mid summer, I may even use these for baking some potato dish.

It’s amazing how much power invisible things have. I started a new compost bin yesterday. Using a 16 foot long by 4 foot wide piece of cattle fencing, I rolled it into a ring 4.5 feet across. I had to wrap it in fine hardware cloth to keep the chickens out. I added one wheelbarrow of poultry bedding, and by the time I returned with a second wheelbarrow, the compost bit was full of chickens. Chickens are great at turning and tearing apart compost piles. They aren’t welcome when you are starting a compost pile. Once I had the compost bin chicken-safe, I filled it with:

• 2 wheelbarrows of composted poultry bedding
• 2 wheelbarrows of rabbit bedding
• 1 wheelbarrow of dried tomato bean vines
• 4 wheelbarrows of poultry bedding
• 2 wheelbarrows of forest brush
• 3 wheelbarrows of comfrey and burdock leaves
• 1 wheelbarrow of forest floor decomposed leaves

The center of the compost was 60ºF when I put it all together yesterday afternoon. This morning it was 80ºF. I can’t see them, but trillions of microscopic creatures are having a feast, gorging themselves and generating excess heat from dancing through the night. May they party, eat, drink, and dance for a long time.