BIGGER Snowday

Yikes! You want snow? We got it...8" and another 8" forecast. Fluffier and a bit dryer than the last snowfall, which just last night had all melted away, I was thinking, "OK now, onward to spring". OOPS! I guess nature has another plan.... The Apricot, plums, nectarines, and almonds are all in a state of resentment right now. Poor things. Their blooms highly dislike a snow blanket. Thankfully the temps aren't too low, just hard for the bees to work -heh heh! It's when the thermometer hovers below 29* that the opening blooms and leaves are at risk. What a scene. It is beautiful in many ways, for in the depths of that snow, is life giving moisture. The creeks and springs run high. For this we can be grateful.

Check This Out - Here's to 50 years of marriage!!

My folks are way into Valentine's Day, and choose to create an original valentine to send all their loved ones in lieu of a traditional holiday card at Christmas. This year, they also celebrated 50 years of married life together and made a special tribute to that by recreating their wedding photo....sigh.

More pics from SNOWDAY, + tribute to kitties

One of the amazing fractures of the morning yesterday. The two oaks that broke are quite close to the house...now if we can just train it to split itself up and hop on over to the wood pile!

• The long lived Century Plant seems unfazed by the snow...

• The garlic standing tall in about 4" of snow....Loving it!!
  

• Tigger our "scaredy" cat, adopted from Ruby Valley, finally makes the blog. She dislikes other cats, dogs, especially puppies, and primarily resides (hides) in my daughter's room. Her companion Nala entered into the food chain (Barn owl? Coyote?) in October of 2005, her disappearance triggered our aquisition of Pepper. Poor Tigger, nothing has been the same since then!
  

• Nala and Tigger back in the day.....RIP little Nala....

Snow Day

The snow started falling soggy and dense last night. We awoke to about 5 inches that quickly started falling from the treetops in large wet clumps! We lost two large oak trees to the weighty white stuff, the sound of splintering oak echoed out into the morning.
The almonds, plums, apricot and the willow are all budding out, oblivious to the winter around them. I must find and post the endearing poem about the willow being the first to dress for the party and the last to remove her hat at its end; meaning the sweet willow is at the starting gate in springtime, bursting out in light green leaves and furry seedlets, and after the pumpkin pies of Thanksgiving have been enjoyed and you are wrapping gifts for the holidays the blessed willow may still be holding on to some of her now dark green leaves. Amazing. I started my willow tree from a number of branches carried back in my suitcase on the plane from Minneapolis, MN. It was from a willow at my parents home, now over 40 years old, that my mother had also started from a branch!

If a picture paints a thousand words...

My spirit feels spring stirring. It is a hopeful place of promise and joy. I can't wait! Well, I take that back... in light of the work load before me, I've need for every day between now and the warmth and vigor of May. I planted my remaining grapes yesterday. They've been in 2 gallon pots since last year. On the whole, they seem a bit more vigorous than the vines that have been in the ground. It will be interesting to see how they fare against the established vines from here on out. Luckily I'd already dug the holes so it took just a couple of hours, and I was happy to come inside as the north wind had really starting to make a fuss. Today, clear and cool as well.

BEAR BUTTE LOOKING EAST






















APRICOT STARTING TO DO HER STUFF!






SNOW ON THE DISTANT MOUNTAINS



WE ARE LOVING SPRING A COMING















WOW! CABBAGE!







COULD THIS BE THE FIRST ROBIN?

step into my garden

Nice break after the rain. Today was over 70*. I dug holes for the remaining grapes to be planted this year. I will have 65 total. I will be planting one of Ram's "Queen of the Vineyard" grapevines this year, and eight more of the Pinot Noir that I've nurseried since obtaining the original 50 in 2003. I believe I lost only one, pretty hardy little buggers. Last fall we tasted the Pinot's for the first time. The seedless table grapes, now in their 5th year, made a good showing for themselves too. Sweet foreshadowing of the abundunce to come! My garlic though not planted until just a few weeks ago is really jumping

The early , Greengage, Satsuma and Santa Rosa plums, all threaten to bloom. I managed to prune about half of them yesterday.I love my new 8' tripod style, aluminum orchard ladder. This is the first year that I have truly needed it.
It was a beautiful day I worked until sunset and would like to do that daily. Turning on the generator for my Internet 'fix' seems such a paradox to the Eden I can dwell in. The Reggae Blues are playing in my life...

photo finish

My days soon filled with rain, today a clearing. Valentine's day has come and gone. Seeds to plant, and trees healed in, waiting for the same. I managed to get two Mulberry trees planted and one apple from Ram, Thomas Jefferson's favorite a "spitzenburg", before the rain came.



i love humboldt i love my family here i love my home and my animals

my pups snoopy and Pepper.



wow! broccoli!



and leeks....







RIP: Shy Girl 12/21/1994 - 11/20/2006



peace

i heart
Jj