I Splurged

I wanted a Dutch oven.  

Can you believe I've gone my whole life without never having a Dutch oven?   I have, and I decided it was time for that to change, so off to Walmart I went to get one.  And to do my regular weekly shopping while I was there, but that's not pertinent to the story. 

I don't know why I wanted a Dutch oven so badly, but I did.  I found them on the shelf, picked out the one I wanted, and then looked slightly to the left and saw....

an entire cookware set for just $6 more than the Dutch oven cost by itself.   Naturally, that seemed like a much better deal, but did I really need new pots?  Why yes, yes I did!

My reasoning was that all of my pots are 30 years old, and even though they are still in pretty decent shape, by golly I deserved some new ones.  

By golly.   

I didn't really need the skillet, as I have an 8" cast iron skillet already, but on second thought, it might be nice to have one that isn't quite so heavy.  Especially as I'm getting a bit older now and my hands aren't what the used to be. 

This, on the other hand, was a complete impulse buy. 

You know how after a while the burned oil builds up and your basket ends up looking all gunky and the stuff is impossible to scrub off without taking your non-stick coating off as well?  Yeah, I'm hoping that this will make cleanup much easier.  It can't possibly be any worse. 

I'm going to try it out tomorrow and I'll let you know how it goes.  

In other news, I've managed to fill up one section of my new raised beds. 

It took two of the big bags and one small bag of garden soil to fill it, but I expect it will compact a bit after a few good rains.  I'm planning on this being a bed for annual flowers, so I can add more dirt next year if it's needed.   

And look at this!  My French Tarragon is starting to come up. 

I've read that this is a short lived perennial, which means it will live 3-5 years, then die.  This year will be the third year, so soon I'll have to decide whether to grow the same thing again, or replace it with a different herb. 

Last night, we were predicted to get heavy rainfall with a chance of hail.  I think the worst of it went to the north of us, but when I got home from work yesterday, I got out and shaved some of the high spots off of my garden spot.  

Alas, all my hard work was for naught, because we barely got enough to wet the dust.  Well, not for naught, as I've got to get this spot levelled out anyway.  That's going to be something I work on this weekend.  

I was originally thinking I might run up to Lowe's in Batesville, but I think I might change my mind on that.  It's still early in the year, and I don't want to go buying a bunch of stuff only to see it nipped by a late frost.  Best not let myself be tempted.

I might get my two 4' x 4' beds put together and into place instead, so I can start getting them filled up with dirt.  

Oh, and I just realized, Sunday is March 1, so I can start some seeds!  All I have right now are some sweet basil seeds, which I want to plant with my tomatoes --and some marigolds-- but that's OK.  I can get them started, then transplant them into the bed once I get my tomatoes in. 

That's it for today.  I'm really tired and can tell I'm rambling nonsensically, so I'm going to go to bed now. 

Good night.