Outside In Bright Sunlight

In the past I felt that February was the worst month of winter.  Cold and snow was usually with us for what seemed like an eternity and something else was needed.  This March has now been labeled as the worst month of this winter.  Early warm air drew the frost up out of the driveway.  Soft muddy gravel grabs the plow tip removing huge quantities of gravel along with the snow.  I cleared snow once under those conditions and the man with the big plow was called in once.  We both did damage to the driveway.  Recently the only choice seemed to be to leave the snow in place.  Repeatedly driving on snow firmly packs it leaving a slick but passable surface.  After my recent fall, walking down hill on slippery snow or ice is simply not going to happen.  The truck has been used twice a day on mail runs.  Since short trips are hard on a vehicle, each trip included a drive about of nearly ten miles.

These Mammoth Pink Chrysanthemums are just now peeking out from the new snow cover.  The stones used to control the drop in elevation are the first things to appear as the snow shrinks.  They capture warmth from the sunlight that strikes them and the nearby snow melts revealing plants and ground.  Located close to the south side of the house, reflected sunlight adds to the daily warmth.  Chrysanthemums frequently do not survive the winter here.  We were thrilled to see the large number of green plants that will require division later.  This variety is a treasure and it has been with us for several years.  Some of the divisions will remain in this spot while others will be placed in new locations seeking other placements that the plant can survive in.

The warmth of the strengthening sunlight has cleared half of the stone wall down by the road of its snow cover.  Our driveway is also beginning to show itself.  The warm gravel and some new sunlight are rapidly clearing the mess.  When the moisture has drained away the surface will begin to firm up.  We are looking forward to being able to cross the length of the lane without feeling the sliding tires or the sinking boots.

This is another shot of the planting area next to the house.  The broken stone path gives us a solid place to walk and drains away the water that falls from the roof.  Since there is no safe place to walk here, pictures were taken from an open living room window.

Watching how the snow melts on this section of sloped lane has proved interesting.  Initially, the packed snow at the top of the hill became saturated with melt water.  The change in color from white to brown signaled the advance of the water.  Each recent evening has featured temperatures that were well below freezing.  Having recently fallen here, I will not walk on this section until the snow and ice are gone.  My snow pusher is sliding the softened ice toward the ditch.  Clear skies and likely above freezing temperatures are expected tomorrow so this mess may clear.  The early birds spend a great deal of time pecking at the exposed gravel.  Perhaps active springtails are providing an early meal.

Long After The Storm

When I plow the driveway with my lawn tractors, adjustments must be made for working with tools too small for the task at hand.  My plow will not move much snow to the side so a clear area must be there to receive the plowed snow.  When the job is done my driveway is nearly two lanes wide so that there will be a place to push the next snowfall.  The recent storm overwhelmed both me and my machines.  The pro that rescued us is familiar with how wide I plow but not the reasons behind it.  When he left a mountain of snow was piled where the blower tractor had to be driven to place it in the shed.

More than a week of sunshine and rain had reduced the size of the snow pile.  On two previous days a path through the pile had been opened.  Sunlight working on the exposed face increased the size of the opening.  The remaining snow that needed to be moved was incredibly heavy.  My flat long handled shovel limited the size of each load.  Patient persistence finally opened a sufficiently wide path.

The big tractor is now back in the shed.  You can see just how high the blower is presently set.  Riding over the fallen snow created a surface that neither tractor could cross on the steep part of the driveway.  That and the rate of the snowfall at lunch time overwhelmed both machine and operator.

Above freezing temperatures and cloud cover filtering the sunlight prompted me to move my cardinal flowers, the first transplants of the season, outside.  They have been trapped it the basement for more than two weeks. That is far too long.  The two rows at the left were obviously plants grown from seed when they were disturbed.  Their new growth has raised a question.  A cardinal flower plant from seed is reported to grow only a low basal cluster of leaves during its first year.  A stem that flowers grows the second year.  Some of the from seed plants are nearly as large as the daughter plants that started growing from the base of the old plant last fall.  These from seed plants may now be in their second year of growth.  If that is true, then I still do not know what newly emerging plants from seed look like.  So old and still so much to learn.

This last picture was taken from the opposite side when compared to the first photo.  The location of the almost dead transplant will help sort out the confusion.  One tray is totally daughter plants that will flower this year.  The other tray contains both daughter plants and plants from seed.  In one month there may be no discernible difference.  Perhaps the time is right to plant a tray of lettuce seeds.