Dirt Therapy

That's right, it is the middle of January - wet, cold and even snowy at times - but I've come up with a list of at least 10 things you can do now if you have a severe case of cabin fever. Of course, for the outdoor activities you might have to wait for a decent day but one will come. That is one of the nicer things about gardening in Alabama - no matter how nasty the weather gets, there will be a more pleasant day just around the corner. You can bet on that! 1) Planning & Ordering - I received my first seed catalog the day after Christmas and they have been arriving steadily since. I love these catalogs - what gardener doesn't? - and they really get you excited about spring. Now is the perfect time to plan a garden. If you haven't discovered the joys of mail-order, I urge you to order something. I find it thrilling to get a live plant in the mail (but then again, I'm a very odd person, but I have heard other people say it so I know I'm not alone!) Some of...

It started snowing last night around 8:30 and the ground was covered in a matter of minutes. We stayed up until almost 11:30, walking around to window to window looking out at it. The glow from the street lights and the reflections were so pretty. It was still snowing heavily when we went to bed and I don't know when it stopped. We measured 8" this morning. A shot of the street in front of our house - Michael by the front gate - Harry Lauder's Walking Stick is so pretty in the snow - The garden wall - The chandelier - The pergola - It is interesting how high the snow piled up on objects - Enjoy it while it lasts! Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Michael's aunt and cousin from Mississippi and our friend Joann from Memphis will be here this weekend for their annual hair appointments so I've been in the kitchen. This is our favorite dip (sooo addictive) and it is simple to do (just a lot of chopping). This recipe comes from the Knorr's Vegetable Soup Mix box. It calls for 1 cup of mayonnaise in addition to the sour cream but we prefer just the sour cream so we use all sour cream and it is delicious. I also think fresh spinach is much better than the frozen spinach. It is great served with Hawaiian Bread or just crackers. INGREDIENTS 1 package (10 oz.) baby spinach, chopped or 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 1 container (16 oz.) sour cream 1 cup Mayonnaise (or sour cream) 1 package Knorr® Vegetable recipe mix 1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and chopped 3 green onions, chopped (optional) Combine all ingredients and chill about 2 hours. Now is that easy or what?...

It is sunny and cold today as I sit here watching the birds outside the window and contemplate an article assignment that is due in 5 days. Perhaps my New Year's resolution should be to stop procrastinating and get things done. I don't know, I think I might work better under pressure. :) The photo above is actually from 2007. We've already had some snow this winter and I'm sure we have more on the way in 2011. I hope everyone had a nice New Year's Eve and Day. We were actually awake this year to see it in (unheard of, we are rather unexciting homebodies). We invited a few friends over for some chili and a game of Mexican Train dominoes and we had a great time. We toasted the New Year in with thunderstorms brewing outside as we had a quick sip of champagne and some kisses before getting back to our game. Resolutions? I'm not making any this year. I'm hoping that we have a great gardening year and better weather this year. And please - no drought! I don...