Diary 2/28/14

February 2014, check. Bulbs are coming up all over the place, happy it has been wet and mild. First peas are up, but not a great germination. I am using up old seed, and should really plant thicker knowing the germination make not be as good as it once was. At least I have a little to show for my efforts. Spinach seed was last fall's and it seemed to do fine. Fresh things to eat in a month, yes!

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Diary 2/27/14

Blacktail lawn mower

February is whizzing by. Soon it will be March and then in three weeks it will be Spring! Our chance for a decent snow pack is passing. Now we can only hope we get some summer rains and that the reservoirs fill as much as possible with late rains. With the rain we received earlier in the month, bulbs are up and the grass is growing finally. My cover crops still look sad due to the hard freeze and drought, but even they are growing into a green mat.

Dairy 2/24/14

 It was a wonderfully warm day. Planted carrots, radishes, walla walla onions, lettuce and some more peas. Top greenhouse is coming together. Happy to find crocuses today. The pollen from these flowers is where the spice saffron comes from. It is also the source of the yellow coloring for the gowns of Buddhist monks.

 Must take a serious amount of flowers to collect that much pollen. Makes the dye very special.

Diary 2/23/14

Sometimes life moves faster than I can blog. This is one of those times. I am working in four different directions at once and none of them are that interesting. Meanwhile, the shop project has begun. I am the gopher. "Go for this, go for that..." I am about to send query letters out about "the book". Writing a sequel which is going much more quickly than the first story, and cleaning beds in the garden with lots more clean-up such as asparagus vines, raspberry canes, and fruit tree pruning to come.

Where are the loppers?

One day of sun and my gardening hormones kick in. Thank goodness it is going to rain again at the end of the week if not before so that I can reassess my goals!

Diary 2/20/14

The first metal for the first upright has been attached to the concrete. May put up the front wall of beams this weekend, weather permitting. Exciting times!

Diary 2/19/14

It is snowing, but I suspect, not for long. We had the huge storm in early December and then nothing. Now we have had over 8 and 1/2 inches of rain for the first half of February. Though it helps, it is still not the snow pack that makes for more rain later. Ah well. Hoping for a mild spring and not the sudden hot, dry days that are so hard on little buds. The male robins arrived last week and with the overload of rain, they were feasting on worms in our yard in large groups. The deer are back around, loving the grass and clover which is also

replenishing with the rain. They hop around listening for the worms underground, then pounce, poke their bills into the wet dirt and bring up wiggling treats.

Diary 2/15/14

Beginning to work on beds. Had to outsource part of the work.

Diary 2/14/14

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Diary 2/11/14

So, I need to watch what I say because it sounds like we are going to have four rain storms in a row and maybe we really will catch up. Back east in Georgia and the Carolinas they are calling for a historic storm. They wanted to say epic, but it is such a popular word these days. Hoping for safe driving for all through whatever weather you may find yourself in.

Diary 2/9/14

Lots of rain, but a drop in the bucket as far as catching up. This year we have received 13 inches for the water year since September. Last year at this time we had received 35 inches. Enjoying every sprinkle.

Diary 2/7/14

The snow level is just above us. It is snowing, but not sticking here. Eugene and Portland received more snow yesterday than we are going to see the entire three storms. This has been the trend. I do think the Northern Sierras are getting snow again and so is San Francisco. As you go down the state of California, the drought worries increase. This set of storms will help.

Diary 2/5/14

These woodpecker holes are at the bottom of this pine. Not a good sign for the tree, but I have heard woodpeckers, especially the large pileated ones (that the old cartoon Woody Woodpecker was based upon),

can actually save a tree.

Diary 2/3/14

This little guy will be out of luck after tonight.  We had a skiff of snow this morning, not enough to make a snowball. Really cold temperatures are back for a few days, but not much moisture until the weekend. Then a substantial storm with snow is coming. Or so they say now. These predictions have not been panning out, but supposedly the "models" told the meteorologists this was going to happen last October. Ski resorts are still waiting to open. Profit margin is down to nil.

Diary 2/2/14

Ground Hog Day! Phil would say 6 more weeks of winter if he lived here. It was sunny without fog this morning. It is going to get very cold during the week. Well, not by Minnesota standards, but for here. 14 degrees for a couple of nights means we leave the water going and I get up a couple times in the night to stoke the fire. Meanwhile in Southern Utah, it is freezing cold also. This picture thanks to our friend who lives near Kanab. Love those red rocks!

Diary 2/1/14

I have very much enjoyed my time off this month, writing, reading, doing crafts, and relaxing. Out at the garden, I am reminded that life goes on. There is work waiting for my return as the days become longer and the temperatures warm up. Still hoping for more rain, but I do not see it anywhere in the forecast. That is something to keep in mind when planning a garden. The bugs may be horrible even though we had so much dry cold. It seems those dry years really bring on the cucumber beetles. We continue to have a herd of deer in the yard and the elk have come down the hill a few times, but never as far as the greenhouses. Add in open range cattle and I wonder how I ever have any produce at all!