…patio. Warm enough at last, and bright enough, too, even at 6:30. Nice for us, but the cardinals were miffed that we had disturbed their routine.

Main project was trying to finish the grow box / cold frame before our trip departure. This baby is going to be squirrel-proof.

Above is one half of the lid (which will be covered with hardware cloth).
The aim is the successful sprouting of hickory nuts, acorns, and other tree seeds—along with the seed starting of tomatoes, basil, and other tasty annuals. The box is going to be placed along the garage stone wall (which faces directly south), behind the existing Alpine currant bushes (which have been seriously pruned back). Except for early spring, it should be almost invisible.

Otherwise, we watched basketball and printed off our brackets. Tonight we fill them in—and then place our bets.