Hope you are all having a very good middle of the week Wednesday.  Ours is getting better as the colds wane.  Still low on energy but the coughs as hard and frequent and we are sleeping better.

We woke to a light dusting of snow with sun on forecast for later today.  For me, this is a depressing time of year.  I hate to use that term because of the negative connotations for the word.  I often say that some one who is depressed might have good reason to be depressed.  My reason is quite simple.  I am ready to start gardening but the season isn't ready.  Right now most of my containers have a two inch layer of ice on top of the soil.  I think the little birds that come to our feeder and like to pick up grains that fall on the containers need ice skates.  The frozen vista isn't all depressing.  I saw green where my variegated marjoram and tansy were located.  Hopeful signs I would say.

Although I have had some good luck starting seeds I am not so happy with how the plants are growing.  They are getting too little light with what I can give them so they are spindly.  So we took advantage of an on-line sale at Burpee to order a table top grow light system.  Should be here by the weekend.  As I said yesterday I am neither a technophobe nor a technophile.  I just use whatever will do the job.  If our regular lighting would do the job or we had sufficient natural light I wouldn't bother with the grow light.

Well, the Cardinals have elected a Pope.  Jesse's Cafe Americaine give a brief bio of the new Pope Francis.  Now I wonder if he can live up to the original.