I see tendrils....

The peas are growing nicely.  There are even some short tendrils.  I guess that means I have to start seriously thinking about stakes or some other climbing support for these beautiful little plants.  If you look closely, just to the right of the left-hand row of plants is a row of smaller pea plants.  These are from the second sowing - the one I did when I thought the first crop had failed.  Who knows how many peas we will or won't harvest this year?  It is fun watching.

I'm seeing green....

Yes, there are tiny green shoots poking out of the dirt in our self-contained planting unit.  The picture says it all.  I first saw the shoots on Monday evening, April 6th - 16 days after we planted them.  The picture says it all!  Tiny green shoots all lined up in a row. 

The past two weeks seemed to take forever to pass.  In reality, I thought a month had gone by since we planted peas.  Oh joy!  Oh delight!  We may even have peas this summer!  What encouragement as we move much too slowly into spring.

Water, Water, Everywhere

and not a drop to collect.  Huh?  Well, I just read an  article in the Wall Street Journal that made me stop and think about our bounty here in Michigan. This article talks about some of the arcane laws in some western states that govern just what you can do with water. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123794222413232887.htm

If you are in Colorado, then it is illegal to collect rain water. Water laws in western states like Colorado distribute all the water, that means river water, aquifer water, and rain water, based on water-rights claims that date back to the mid 1800s. In a state as blessed with water as we are in Michigan, it boggles my mind that each drop of rain is so important in regions that I don't think of as arid.

Read the article. Think about the issue from both sides. Then think about how we as Michiganders feel when other states look at our Great Lakes and talk about water diversion.

There are no easy answers. But, I sure am glad I can pursue the idea of a rain barrel without worrying that Debby will have to visit me in jail.