Diary 4/30/11

I think the weather is going to switch up today.  I will be at the Wildflower Show, but the soil can warm up and start to dry so that by Monday afternoon, I can get something done about cleaning up the strawberries and getting some beds ready for onions and everything else in a couple weeks.  By the end of this next week, I think we may be able to till, especially if we get some new tines on the tiller.  We picked up the last few rounds from a firewood permit we bought from the Forest Service.  The dead tree, snag, was at the edge of the forest next to a logged area that exposed the ancient tree to wind, sun, and dryness, more than it could take.  Across the road from the tree there is a huge White Oak Savannah, a magical place.  I took these pictures with a couple wildflowers, Monkeyflower, and Biscuit bush, and violets showing there. The area is called Abbott Prairie for a Hiram Abbott who lived on Big Butte Creek and was some sort of Indian agent.  Perhaps he came to this place to speak with natives as it seems to have that sort of feel.