The light was gorgeous the other day, slanting in under the clouds, lighting up the buds on the flowering crab. Since then, we’ve received another 3 inches of rain, and things have popped!
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Archive for the ‘weather’ Category
Spring has sprung
May 11, 2012We needed some rain…
April 24, 2012
but 4 inches in less than 24 hours?
The rain is really greening things up. Overnight, the leaves on the lilacs and maple popped, and suddenly, things are looking lush.
Spring peepers awake
March 21, 2012Last night, Dan heard the peepers for the first time this year. Spring truly is here! For more about peppers, or to hear their magical song,check out my post from a few years ago.
This is early for peppers, although in 2010 we heard them March 20 as well. More typically, we here them in early April. Either way, I am happy to hear them.
Gardening season begins — Welcome, Spring!
March 20, 2012
I’ve got grow lights and my homemade heat mat going, and Sunday, did a bit of yardwork. Ahhh, it feels good to be working outside.
An early snowstorm put an end to fall garden cleanup, thus these unexpected warm days are welcome now for cleaning out the perennial beds. I hope the warm dry weather continues long enough for us to get some mulch down on the beds soon. It would be great to have this done to free us up for other chores later in the spring, like packing!
While I cooked on Sunday, Dan cleaned out the bed in front of the house. 
I joined him at the very end, just in time to prune back the red and yellow twig dogwoods. I hope now that the plants are established, this will bring on bright red and yellow new growth.
In the afternoon, we tackled the bed by the deck, and lastly, the Russian Sage bed by the 
driveway. In the sunny backyard, the tulips and crocus are well up against the warmth of the house’s brick foundation. We got the Russian Sage bed raked out just in time, as crocuses were coming up through the leaves. Soon that dry brown patch will be filled with crocuses.
Next Saturday, we’ll be happy that we have a truck to fill and haul all the debris away to the town compost pile.
We still have lots more brown to rake out of the other garden beds. This batch is full of road sand, so we will send it off and use the other rakings for our compost. I wish we’d taken some before photos, because we both keep remarking about how much better everything looks!
This warm spell is forecast to continue through the weekend. Thursday’s high is predicted to be in the mid 80s! By the weekend the temps will moderate a bit, with clear skies and temps in the 50s on Saturday, which sounds perfect for more yeardwork. Ahh, spring. But I know you are fickle. Well I remember the big snow of April 5, 2007.
Lion in winter
March 15, 2012
March roared in like a lion with snow on March 1, but the lion is turning out to be a pretty little pussy cat. The weekend temps are predicted to be in the upper 50s! The nights are still cool, I hope cool enough for the maple trees to produce copious amounts of sap for sugaring.
Just 2 more days until the weekend. I feel like the little engine that could — I think I can I think I can! (make it to the weekend).
Spring chickens
March 13, 2012
The hens are enjoying the spring weather. Their run is muddy, but their hendome is nice and dry. The layer of hay and straw is about a foot or more thick, although in some places they have scratched down to the bare soil. We will leave the hendome up until late spring has dried the muddy ground. The dome has served very well over the winter as a warm, snug run for the girls. We will in future years use heavier plastic is this plastic tore easily, but it worked well 
enough this year. When we remove the dome, the thick layer of bedding will feed the compost piles and will serve to really get the compost cooking. The dome itself could be used in the garden to cover heat loving plants or as a nice warm place to raise baby chicks.
The hens are now brave enough to venture across the diminished snow pack to find bare ground and look for bugs. Any stray plant or weed is quickly devoured, and green treats from the house are relished this time of year. Sunday, while partaking of the fabulous weather, I 
noticed we had lots of chickweed in the garden. This is one weed I don’t mind. It goes dormant in the hot weather, but greens up early in the spring and late in the fall providing an excellent source of greens for the hens, who love it.
Another early spring green is sorrel. The hens love it and it is one of the earliest spring greens. Last year I planted 
some in the hoophouse, hoping for some early green Dan and I could enjoy and share with the hens. It is coming along nicely and might even provide enough leaves by the weekend for some soup, and a few leaves for the girls.
Spring is on the way. The nights are still cold but the days have been warm and what little snow we had is rapidly 
disappearing. I’ve started some sweet pepper and chile seeds, and will be starting some tomato seeds later in the month. Winter is on its way out, and I’m ready. I have a lot to do before summer arrives!
Mud season approaches
February 18, 2012
Our mild winter continues here at Henbogle. Mud season is not quite here yet, but I can see it on the horizon. I have a sledding party planned at work for our mentors and their kids so I’d love about 6 inches of snow for that event, then I’m happy to see mud season arrive.
We’ve really only had 2 snowstorms to date, and there is not much snow cover left. With the lengthening days and mild temperatures, the lawn is showing some green, and the Creeping Charlie in the garden is beginning to advance toward the hoophouse.
The mild temps have been kind to the spinach in the hoophouse, and today I harvest 4.9 oz. to use for pizza tonight. I wish I’d planted more, but who knew how mild the winter would be? This week is February vacation, so I’ll be get to do some gardening. I plan on sowing some more spinach and some other cold-hardly greens in the hoophouse in hopes of 
continued mild weather. Here are a few more glimpses of early spring at Henbogle.
Harvest Tuesday: Purple Bok Choy
January 3, 2012
Weatherwise, it has been a bewildering fall and early winter here at Henbogle. An early heavy snowstorm in October had me thinking we’d be in for it, but the snow melted and temperatures climbed. A mere 8 days later, Dan and I were planting shallots in our shirtsleeves. The day before Thanksgiving we got another big storm with 10 inches of snow, which disappeared a few days later. It rained, the days were warm, the ground soft, the grass got green, I thought I’d have to mow the darn lawn.
We received a little snow to whiten Christmas, then a few days later it is 51°F and Dan and I are beachcombing?? Upon arriving home on Sunday, I peeked in the hoophouse and thought, I should pick those 2 bok choy plants. I had left them for dead weeks earlier, but with the mild weather, had survived and even grown a bit. Sadly, I got distracted, and did not pick them. Monday night, temperature plunged again but today, after the cold night last night (high teens, brr!) Dan picked them when he got home from school and it was still balmy in the hoophouse.
My first harvest of 2012! 2 ounces of bok choy is destined for the dinner plate in a stir fry tomorrow for dinner. Maybe we’ll finish off the last bit of Meyer Lemon Ice Cream from Christmas to celebrate the harvest.
A sunny start to 2012
January 1, 2012After a dreary freezing rain and drizzle yesterday which spoiled our travel plans, today dawned bright and sunny. Dan and I decided we needed a breath of fresh air to start the year, so we headed for the coast to let the salt air and sea breeze blow away the cobwebs of 2011.
The sun shone, the temps in the upper 40s were warm enough that I abandoned my fleece jacket. We clambered about the rocks, and I played a bit with my splendid new camera. It was a nice day, and the parks were pretty busy with people out enjoying the weather. I was so busy enjoying the coast and the company I didn’t actually take many photos, but here’s a couple.
Isn’t he cute? I just love that smile.
Trying out the self time feature. Two seconds is NOT enough time. Look at that blue sky!
I made it, but no Dan. The exposure is a little off, but I haven’t learned how to adjust that feature yet. Fortunately, Dan managed to snap the one of the two of us I used in the header file.
We enjoyed a nice seafood lunch, and then made our way back to Henbogle. We’ve been puttering about this week, working on our travel plans. I ordered travel information from our primary destination states, and we joined AAA and ordered some maps and travel info from them, and this afternoon, we created a travel planning center from an as yet un-restored bookcase.
The stack of travel mags on the left of the center shelf includes Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana and South Dakota. The stack on the right is all Oregon. Oregon must have a very large travel and tourism budget. For some reason, I forgot to order Washington state materials. I’ll be fixing that right quick.
I think we’ll have enough maps.
Tomorrow we are working on New Years’ Resolution #1 — cleaning up the barn, getting ready for a project. No before pictures to avoid self-incrimination.
A white Christmas
December 23, 2011
Much to the dismay of the hens, we’ll be having a white Christmas at Henbogle!
