Working in the Rain
When I visited my mom & dad on Friday, I dug up a bunch of plants from their garden. I got some miracle lilies (or naked ladies), mallow, tiger lilies, fennel and a few others. I wanted to get them planted, so I spent part of the day yesterday doing that. The weather didn’t want to cooperate, it seems like every time I’d head out to work I’d start hearing some rumblings of thunder. Pretty soon it would start raining and I’d head inside. About a half hour later the rain was gone and it was sunny again, so out I’d go again. Then more thunder and rain.
I had so many chores to get done I didn’t mind working between all the storms. This past week we liberated more lawn out front and I’ve been wanting to get some cover crop planted on it. I figured yesterday would be the perfect day since it would get nicely watered in after planting. Of course it started and stopped raining several times while I leveled the soil, sprinkled the seeds, and covered them with soil. Since I was determined to get it done I stayed out working in the rain. Since it’s warm, I don’t mind working in the rain, as long as it’s not raining too hard.
Mr Chiots snapped a few photos of my trying to finish up, it kept raining harder and harder. Of course right after he took these photos it started POURING!
I came inside, dried off and waited for the worst to be over. A good cup of coffee courtesy of Mr Chiots made the wait nice. Out I went after the rain and I finally finished up all my garden chores around 6 yesterday evening. I actually enjoy working in the rain, although digging in the soil isn’t something you want to do when it’s that wet. Pulling weeds however is a wonderful rainy day garden chores.
Do you garden in the rain?
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It Snowed, It Snowed, It Snowed Last Night
One of the reasons I blog is to keep track of things like the weather, last snowfall, last frost, first frost, etc. This past week was beautiful for gardening here in NE Ohio, we had days in the 50’s & 60’s and nights in the 40’s. Since it’s Ohio, I knew the weather was too good to last. We frequently get snow in March and in April (last year we had snow on April 7). I don’t think I have any photos of Easter egg hunts as a kid without winter coats covering up our lovely Easter outfits.
Winter is far from over here in Ohio and mother nature makes sure to remind us this time of year. We woke up to a few inches of snow yesterday morning and temperatures in the teens. The nice thing about snow this time of year is that it melts of quickly and the days usually are still warm, not as cold as in the heart of winter.
I’m actually happy for this cold snap. I’m stratifying some joe pye weed seeds and I need a week of cold nights so the seeds will germinate. It’s supposed to be down below freezing for the next couple nights, so I think I’ll have just enough cold weather. We’ll most likely still get some snow in April, but by the end of April we can pretty much be certain that spring is officially here.
When is your last snow or cold weather?
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Rainy Days
“Anyone who says that sunshine brings happiness,
has never danced in the rain.”
~ Author Unknown
It’s been raining here since Friday evening, not that I mind. I’ve been baking up some more sourdough bread for the freezer and cooking up a few dishes to eat on this coming week. I managed to score some lovely mushrooms at the Local Roots Market and I paired them with a venison roast courtesy of Mr Chiot’s hunting last fall. What a delicious combination.
I’ll be baking up some squash today to make some butternut squash soup, butternut squash ravioli, squash pudding and some Barley with Butternut Squash & Preserved Lemons (remember those preserved lemons I made?). These will all be for the Real Food Challenge over at Not Dabbling, so I’ll be taking photos of everything for future blogposts. I can’t think of a better way to spend a rainy weekend than in the kitchen baking up some warmth and happiness.
What’s your favorite way to spend a rainy weekend?
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Sunny Spring Days
The first warm sunny days bring out the best in all of us here in NE Ohio. Everyone seems to be in a better mood, they’re is excited that the long cold gray days of winter will soon be only a memory. People are out and about smiling, working in their gardens, walking their dogs and they seem to be having a good time. I waved to many neighbors while out on the front porch getting some seed flats ready.
It won’t last long, winter isn’t even close to being over her in Ohio. We’ll still get a few more snowstorms and some crisp cold weather. I still have at least 2 months to be patient until I can plant anything slightly tender in the garden. Even cold tolerant plants can easily get nipped by the usual winter relapses we have. So one must be careful to remember that spring isn’t yet here when we have a few warm days.
While the warmth is here we take full advantage. We’ve been going on nice long walks in the afternoons, soaking up the sun and getting some exercise (and preparing for our spring hiking vacation). On Thursday I even hung out the first load of laundry this year. Mr Chiots checked on one of our beehives that sounded a little weak, and as of right now both hives survived the winter.
I checked the soil in the raised beds, and it’s still frozen solid about 1/2 inch below the surface. I covered one bed with the cold frame yesterday and seeded some lettuce. I’m hoping to cover the remaining cold frames with plastic to warm the soil more quickly and protect the plants inside from the worst of the remaining winter weather.
What do you do you take advantage of the first beautiful days in the spring?
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The Days Were Clear and Bright
The days were clear and bright. Laura and Mary stood on chairs by the window and looked out across the glittering snow at the glittering trees. Snow was piled all along their bare, dark branches, and it sparkled in the sunshine. Icicles hung from the eaves of the house to the snowbanks, great icicles as large at the top of Laura’s arm. They were like glass and full of sharp lights.
Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House in the Big Woods)
One of my favorite things to see in the winter are icicles. We don’t get them very often since our home is well insulated, but when the sun shines brightly on a cold day it melts the snow on our dark roof. This makes icicles form on our front porch. They’re so lovely with the blue skies behind them and the sun making them sparkle. They don’t last long, one moment they’re gracing the front porch and the next they’re gone. I’m glad I got out to capture a few photos when I did, they were beautiful.
It took me a few patient moments to catch this drip falling from the icicle. If you look at the large image you can see that the drop reflects the ground upside down, wonderful!
Icicles are one of my favorite parts of winter, they always seem to come as the days get longer and sun gets warmer. I especially love them on days like this when they sparkle in the sunlight, it’s almost as if they’re announcing the coming of spring! Most likely there will be no more icicles this winter. They will give way to leaves that will clog the gutters.
What’s your favorite part of winter, the snow, the ice, the cooler weather for your southerners?
