The sun is shining, and it's still very cold on this first day of 2009.

Henry and I spent New Year's Eve with a group of friends at Bart and Jurrina's home in the country.

I almost missed it due to some serious crankiness and an unwillingness to brave the cold.
The desire to be a good friend won out however and a good time was had by all

Bart and Henry B. put on a great fireworks show, which, aside from that one rogue firework which decided to shoot itself at the crowd rather than above us, was very well executed.

The kids who attended spent lots of time on the frozen pond skating and playing hockey. (Miles had gone the extra mile and strung Christmas lights around the entire pond.)
A few of the kids had stayed out just a little too long and had to deal with some painful thawing, but thankfully no one got as far as frostbite.

Jurrina, Lorretta and I also decided to have a seed party again this year which we will hold at my house.
Seed parties are always great fun. Everyone brings something to munch on and any seeds that they might like to trade. If someone doesn't have seeds to trade we don't mind. There are always lots to go around. This year I saved lots of sweet pea, poppy, and iris seeds. And of course there are all those seeds I bought. . .

We all chat and peruse the new seed catalogues so we can make one order and save the extra shipping fees.
Some people come just to chat gardening with other like minded women.(Or men.)
We also make cute little seed envelopes so everyone can take home the seeds they want.
The year I took the Master Gardener's course they let me borrow the box of old seeds to give us the chance to try something a little different, which was very fun.

I choose to grow something whose name I had never heard before. I searched for information but I turned up nothing.
I was sure I was growing some very exotic plant that would have all my gardening friends green with envy!
Until it developed it's first set of true leaves. I thought they looked rather familiar but still couldn't figure out where I had seen those leaves before.
Jurrina dropped by for a visit shortly after and checked the plant out.
"Oh I know what that is," she informs me airily.
"You're growing celery!"
Ack!!

The seed party will be on Friday January 16Th at 7:30pm.
If you are in my neighbourhood, drop by and join us for some fun!
You could always go home with some celery seed of you're own.

I've got just a second to post as Henry and I are working on the big garden project by the light of both a floodlight and a flashlight.

I've been sent in the house to make coffee. (tea for me)

My mom came over today and helped me clean out the garden. It was a beautiful day and they are calling for two more days of above seasonal temperatures so. . .

I've got to garden while I can!

While mom worked in the garden, I did a little spookifying.

Although it's hard to tell, I have bats and spiders hanging from the webs.

What do you think?