Diary 2/29/12

Snowy day.  Don't think I ever saw a temperature above 35 degrees.  Pretty vistas.  I just wish they were from early January instead of late February.  Kinda late to build a good snow pack now.  This storm did put down a considerable amount of snow at the highest levels, but still far behind what is usually there.

Diary 2/26/12

Every year at this time, these beauties appear at every market place I visit.  It is hard to resist purchasing just a couple.  The ones I have bought in the years past are popping up in the yard here and there, but will not bloom for a few more weeks.  Primroses do well here, though not so eager to naturalize as I have seen in some photos of British castle grounds where they spread their bright yellows and pale purple across large expanses after years of wandering away from their initial garden beds.

Diary 2/25/12

The storm arrived with some substantial gusts of wind and a pretty one inch covering of snow this morning. Although there were snow showers much of the day, it really never accumulated to anything.  It was sunny and snowing several times this afternoon. Left these vegetables I had picked outside last night, but they were well chilled in their snow bath. Feels like a cold evening coming...

Diary 2/24/12

storm's a brewin'

Cleaning up pruned branches from yesterday and working on a few more of the plum trees.  Began pruning my lilacs which like to send up ten thousand shoots.  Can't blame them as they were shoots in my neighbor's yard once.  The bushes I bought are lower and have denser flowers on their stalks, but they are not nearly as prolific bloomers as the old homestead ones.  Crocus popped up in the lawn with the near sixty degree weather we have had the last two days.  Storm coming and you can feel it.

Diary 2/23/12

Trying to get a grip on this fast growing plum tree.

The peas are getting their next set of leaves.

Nice day and another tomorrow before a series of storms come through. Planted a few more radishes and lettuce, but I feel fairly caught up in the greenhouses, so spending time pruning as fruit trees as they are starting to show swelling buds.  You don't want to prune too early here as there can still be a cold event that can damage a section of the stem back from where you have pruned, but with buds showing, the other end of the scale is waiting too long when the trees are beginning to send energy into those tips that they don't even need to because they will be pruned.  The peas are doing well.  The temperatures of today and tomorrow will probably germinate some more seeds in the greenhouses. It is still very early, I have just been lucky to have the success I have achieved as the weather has been generally mild. No outside growth at all, that is why I have greenhouses!

Diary 2/22/12

George Washington's birthday and my brother's. We used to be given the day off from school and so my brother had a holiday every birthday.  George Washington didn't tell a lie and admitted chopping down a cherry tree, at least that was the tidbit we were taught in grade school. Maybe lies came later when he was a military hero turned politician. Spent a couple days with Water Boy who is turning into Wheelbarrow Boy for this photo shoot.  I can picture him some years down the road and I hope he still likes gardening because I will be getting older!

Diary 2/19/12

Sand slide

Queens of Sand Hill

Off to Eugene today to check on the other two year old, Water Boy.  I know Garden Girl will miss me, but I need a break.  I will be starting plants in three weeks and then I won't be getting away for a couple months. Yesterday started with snow and it snowed much of the day, but we ended up with nothing at the end of it all.  Went for a drive up the mountain to see where the snow level was.  Turns out it is way up there and there is little at the level where things are white.  It might have more snow in a freak springtime storm than it has now. Scary.