Garden Preps Begin

   Okay. Okay! I get it. I might be a tad bit antsy but, I can't wait to dig into my garden expansion area to find out if I'm going to be able to get it ready in time for the spring planting. Given that the ground is frozen I can't very well start tilling it yet, so I started thawing it out! Well, not exactly.
   It all started on Friday. It was a beautiful day out and I spent the whole day running around taking the dogs to the vet and getting their licenses. The relationship to the garden is that I was outside frequently, seeing bare ground and tolerable temperatures. And, after getting home from the vet's, the dogs and I wandered out back and had a look around the garden.  It was late in the afternoon so we didn't tarry long, but I made a couple of mental notes on things that need to get done.
   On Saturday morning the pull was irresistible and I found myself back in the garden with my faithful companion, Whiskey.  The most pressing item on my agenda is to install an electric fence to keep the bears our of the honey bees that will be arriving early this spring.  With this in mind, I started taking the brush that was stacked near the woven-wire fence and piling it in the middle of the expansion area.  Whiskey and I worked on that until I couldn't take anymore and we called it a day.
   Sunday found Luke, Whiskey and I back in the garden to burn the brush pile that I stacked the day before.  I purposely chose to burn the brush in the new garden area so I can just till the ashes right into the soil when the time comes.
   Of course it snowed 4" or so Saturday night, just to make things nice and damp for burning.  We got it going without too much trouble and before long I had singed half my mustache, both eyelashes and eyebrows (Kayla would like the trimming they got) and a little of my hair.  It's probably a good thing I shaved the beard off Friday night!
   Anyhow, Luke and I (and Whiskey) cleaned up the brush above the garden near the gate; and we took out a bunch of the young beach brush there to get ready for leveling an area for a small greenhouse. We'll also be planting some of the 300-odd trees I have coming in the beginning of April there.
   My next task will be to clear the entire path for the electric fence and start building it.