Purple Pansies

I set my sweet pea seeds to soak last night with the intention of putting them in the ground today. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the wetter, but with only a light drizzle falling, my Seattle roots told me it wasn't rain enough to call off the planting.

Donning my winter jacket (unseasonable, but my only hood option) and rainboots, I headed out with spade and seeds for a quick planting. My upstate downstairs neighbors showed up just in time to see me, rear in the air, mucking an awkward backwards path along my garden's fence, carefully pressing a shiny, wet seed into a straight shallow trough.

Minutes later, duty done, I filled my now-empty jam jar with a fragrant posy and headed back upstairs, tramping my caked boots on the uneven cement and wiping my muddy hands on my black sweatpants.