Blue, if you don't have high blood pressure or glaucoma, see if you can find someone who has one of those inversion tables and try it. Sometimes if you can go upside down the traction from your upper body weight can take the pressure off. Or if you belong to a gym, try lying on one of those sit-up crunch boards (feet up). Not advised for anyone with high blood pressure or glaucoma. Wouldn't be a bad idea to check with your chiropractor first, since he knows you.

Feel better!

I'm starting my tomatos today. I have my pots soaking as we speak! And some globe basil. That's it for me! Nothing else will need started indoors, the rest goes outside, direct planted. Darn, forgot about the okra and watermellon. Well, that comes way later.

Hope everyone is well, and the snow has stopped for you guys! It's a blustery 28º here. Don't know the wind chill, but it's not like what you guys BRAG about! HaHaHa

Did anyone stick a seed in some dirt, while my back was turned? If so, you better fess up now!

Nothing but the onions. But I might start just a few this weekend...

how much sun do the rest of you have?

On the radio today they said it was up to 10 hours and 30 some odd minutes(didn't catch it exactly). FIVE minutes more light than yesterday!

WOOHOOO! (I *really* have to buy those curtains soon )

Should I have added that we still have feet upon feet of snow? I was talking to a local (as in been here 30 some odd years). She said her rule of thumb is "half the snow before March, and the other half after"

I think we have roughly 11 hours of daylight -- 7:30 am to 6:30 pm. Equinox is only 3 weeks off and, like you, we're gaining about 5 minutes a day.

We still have most of our snow. Snow over garden is rather thick by our standards, which is good news as far as moisture is concerned. When I was out with the snowblower yesterday morning, I tried to aim a little toward the garden area (mostly not possible). However with forecast high of 44 tomorrow, probably quite a bit will melt.

I'm optimistic that the snow that's piled over my sheet composted areas will have little holes to melt into and hang around to moisten those beds rather than just run off as a lot of the rest is sure to (ground being frozen and all...).

As of 3/1, according to my almanac calendar for this area I will have 11 hours, 28 minutes of daylight.

No tomato seeds up yet! Cripes! It has been a day now!

Just made an angel food cake, and it is cooling and no doubt, flatting as we speak! Upside down and still flattening, Lordy!

liz, you don't really gain 5 minutes a day do you?

I thought it changed faster up here, slower down there.

Today: sunrise 7:28, sunset 6:28
Tomorrow: sunrise 7:26, sunset 6:30
Sunday: sunrise 7:24, sunset 6:32

You're right. It's only 4 minutes. Thought I saw 5 minutes a week or two ago, but it could have been extra enthusiasm creeping in or else a "catch up" period. It has to be a little less than yours, doesn't it -- since we have only 3 weeks to get to the same magic equinox and you've got a half-hour more to make up...

Anyway, it's enough to make me happy. That is until next weekend when we "spring" forward and I'll have to start getting up in the dark again for a few more weeks. Oh well.

Hi Liz! You get to be outside another hour at night. I know it's nicer here and I can't wait to kick butt after work around the place.

Hi David. Yeah, I know! I can hardly wait for the longer evenings! It will *almost* make up for the icky morning thing, which won't last long anyway. Woo hoo!

It's still way too cold and snowy to do anything outside, but at least I'll be more inclined to work on cold frames and such in the garage... With perhaps a little less time sitting at this contraption.

Anybody seen MooreHaven lately? Planting stuff already, is he? Or just snoozing in anticipation...

Liz,

I had no idea your light changed so fast too.....I thought that since I was so much further north than the rest of you'll, it would be a bigger difference.

Learn something new everyday!

So I was curious...I goggled, wanted to find out my exact sunrise and sunset. And I found *THIS*! Anyone understand it and can explain it to me?

February 29, 2008 Rise: Set:
Actual Time 8:04 AM AKST 6:33 PM AKST
Civil Twilight 7:23 AM AKST 7:14 PM AKST
Nautical Twilight 6:35 AM AKST 8:02 PM AKST
Astronomical Twilight 5:47 AM AKST 8:51 PM AKST
Moon 5:44 AM AKST (2/29) 9:15 AM AKST (2/29)
Length Of Visible Light: 11h 51m
Length of Day
10h 28m
Tomorrow will be 5m 23s longer.

I'm only 60 miles south of the Canadian border up here. Still pretty far north! I wouldn't be surprised if I could drive a (long) day due north and find permafrost.

Say Alaskan, I don't have much to add on those facts & figures. (Never heard anyone quote length of visible light before, but I like it!) But I did hear something interesting the other day ... it was news to me, but you might have known this already.

Seems there are (measurable) electrical energy lines that run through the soil from equator to poles. Seems they're farther apart at equator and closer together toward poles. More of this energy makes plants grow faster. So by this principle, you could take the same seed and plant it in Panama or Alaska and it would grow to maturity over less time in Alaska...

However...

The quality of the soil (i.e. more organic matter is better) determines how much energy can be conducted through it. So high quality soil in the north would grow stuff much faster than low quality soil in the north, b/c the electrical energy doesn't run through poor quality soil as well as it does through humus.

In other words, building soil rich in organic matter will help a northern grower get a crop in less time.

Ever heard that one?

Well, I know that our town is on one of those lines.

It is why we have a large witch population here. It is big energy for them or something.

Didn't know it was supposed to help plants too!
(I just knew it made Halloween...uh, 'their' holiday; verses a secular party)

We may not be talking about the same exact kind of lines. I have the impression that they're pretty close together up north and it would be hard not to be on at least one of them.