Spring Preview

Perhaps it rained overnight. Morning on the second day of 2011 brought winds from the south. A misty morning was followed by beautiful blue skies with  a thin white rippled layer of clouds. Ed couldn't wait to get outside. The beds in front of the house were a good place to begin. The winter sun,  and its reflection off the white house made this soil  more likely to have thawed. Weed removal  becomes a possibility.

 

Some of the weed's root masses were stuck in the frozen soil others released their roots easily.  Self seeded Nicotiana was the dominant dead plant in this allium bed.  It is a personal favorite, and it filled the bed with scented flowers when the alliums were past.  More complete weeding here will wait for spring.

Chrysanthemums need to be loosely mulched after the ground freezes.  Snowfall preceded frozen ground so the mulching waited for today.  Here Clara Curtis mums show good new growth.  In the three years that they have grown in our garden a single plant has produced multiple clumps.  We would prefer that they continue to prosper here.



Spent growth from this year has been placed over the new growth.  With any luck snow cover will return and carry these plants safely to spring.

The afternoon was spent cutting trees and brush under the electric wires.  For some reason I looked skyward as I was gathering my tools.  Silhouettes of two large birds circling above the pines disappeared from my view.  Moving away from the trees I caught another glimpse of the birds.  Wide flat wings suggested eagles.  When they cleared the trees again I saw white heads.  One bird was visibly larger than the other so I think that I saw a pair of mature bald eagles.  They were flying close to each other their wingtips almost touching.  One would dip under the other and fly on the opposite side.  After several effortless circles the eagles flew up river side by side.  Breeding season will soon be at hand and I would like to believe that I saw a mated pair of bald eagles enjoying a free day before the rigors of raising the next generation fill their days.

Frost Along The River

Our wake temperature was near zero this morning. The river is still flowing freely but the ice is closing in from the riverbanks. The cold dry air draws moisture from the river. The sea smoke fills the air near the river but it freezes quickly. Any surface near the river grows ice crystals. The photo would have been more impressive if it had been taken nearer sunrise. It is a fair walk down the hill to the frost. The photo had to wait until we were leaving for other reasons.


The big event for today was a bald eagle soaring over the river. He perched in a tree right on the river bank just east of here. It's still a great thrill to see a bald eagle. It gives a person hope since they have come so far back from near extinction. It makes environmental change for the better seem possible.

Some of the wonderful riches from our garden are already gone. Next year we need to plant more carrots and peas. I need to dry more catnip and spearmint. I really need to put on my gloves and inventory to see what's left. We are almost ready to send out that first seed order of 2009!

Premature Pink Poppies

These adorable little pink poppy seedlings are in big trouble. Perhaps the spell of cold weather followed by warm weather fooled them into sprouting. Usually they don't come up until the soil warms in the spring. Global warming aside, they will get frozen before they get far.


The weather has been delightfully warm in the sixties. It's really enough to confuse anyone,but it's a wonderful chance to be outside in November. Today were lucky enough to see a bald eagle soaring over the Unadilla River. It's always a thrilling sight, and thankfully one we see more and more often. This particular bird was a immature probably about four years old. The white head was not completely white and the tail was still rather dark, but there can be no mistaking the majestic bird even without the adult's white head and tail. I'd like to think this eagle was born right here in upstate New York.

Garden Progress

Yesterday while I was sitting and knitting, I glanced out of the window in time to see a bald eagle fly just over the notch. He was heading north toward the river and was flying unusually low. I got a fantastic look as he went by. No matter how often I see an eagle, I am thrilled by it.

It was really cold overnight. When I first awoke this morning and looked out the window, I was amazed. The white layer of frost on the grass, and the trees turning golden in the morning light reminded me of a morning in October. But it is May, and the day warmed nicely.

Ed made progress today on the replacing of gravel and subsoil with his special soil mixture in the bed next to the curved stone wall. As you can see from the picture, still more soil needs to be added. The plants in the picture are day lilies, catnip, and hens and chicks. Oh, and those plants in the stones, next to the wall, are weeds. (Dandelions to be exact.) We do have weeds, lots of them in fact, but I don't always show them in the picture. They won't be there long.