Do you have ants in your pants?

I'll bet you do! No, I don't mean those tiny black creatures that scurry around on the ground. This is a different type of ant altogether. It's called anticipation. Some of the things I anticipate NOT missing are: shoveling snow, driving with white knuckles, walking on ice, and bundling up in layers. You get the idea.

Things I AM anticipating include the warm sun on my face, the smell of freshly mowed grass, the sight of tulips and daffodils in bloom, the touch of a warm breeze and the sound of birds singing. Just thinking about these makes me happy.

We can only hope all these things come to pass. And soon. In the meantime there are always indoor things we can do. One is to take a class. There are many interesting ones now being offered at the Kootenai County Extension, U of I office. Call them at (208) 446 1680 to find out what is being offered this month and next. They are located at 1808 N. Third St. in Coeur d'Alene.

Another thing that needs doing right now is to get those garden seeds planted. Inside, of course. Squash and pumpkins can wait a while but tomatoes and peppers really need a long head start. Hopefully, you have a cool room to grow them in. Using only sterilized seed starting mix, get them going in just about any container that has drainage. Cover the seeds lightly with the starting mix and place them where they get bottom heat such as on top of a refrigerator, etc. This is good for germination as the soil temperature needs to be about 70 degrees.

Once the seeds germinate and you see green leaves, place them 4 inches below grow lights. As the plants grow, try to keep this distance between lights and the tops of the plants. Connect to a timer as the lights need to stay on 14 to 16 hours a day. The hard part is finding a cool room for growing............down close to 60. If the room is too warm the plants will get leggy in a hurry. If you have no grow lights, try you luck at starting seeds in a large east or south window. Again, keep them cool if possible.

Some of the summer bulbs need to be started in the house now too. If not, they won't start to bloom until summer is winding down. Three that you can start now are tuberous begonias, dahlias and cannas. Put these into large pots. Barely cover the begonia bulbs as they root from both the top and bottom of the bulb. The other two are planted deeper. Water once and wait until you see growth before watering again. Used diluted fertilizer with each watering. Keep in the sunniest window you have. Usually, these can go outdoors about the first of June. As always, keep an eye on the weather.

If you left the tall stalks to winter over on your perennials, they need to get a haircut about now. Also cut tall perennial grasses to the ground. Don't remove any mulch yet as we could still get a nasty cold spell.

Be sure to keep those bird feeders filled. Just as important, have water available. That's much easier with the warmer days. A fancy birdbath isn't necessary. Any big flat container will do the job if it is shallow. I have a large plant saucer that works great.

A few of the spring flowers are popping open here and there. Besides the primroses, I'm seeing snowdrops and a few pansies. According to the calendar, spring starts today!

Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting in 4-H. Since then, she has always kept a garden of some sort, growing everything from fruits and vegetables to flowers and house plants. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states and is an active member of the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls.