Month: March 2014

Eek! It’s leeks!

Eek! It's leeks!

Faye started leek seeds a while ago, in anticipation of spring. Once they became too large to remain in their seed starting pods, she transplanted them into these milk bags, which she had saved for this purpose. Of course spring is not here yet, though when it does arrive these seedlings will be ready to go outside. In fact they are already – Faye put them in our portable greenhouse, where it’s about 10C even though the ambient temperature is about -6C.

We also have two Tiny Tim tomato seedlings, which we will pot and put outside hoping for an early harvest – perhaps in late June.

All are flanked by our African Violets, which have added colour and cheer to this long, cold, snowy winter.

First flower

First flower

Faye brought my attention to this violet, the first flower of the year. It’s a violet, a volunteer. What a cheery sign, a cause for celebration!

It’s time

It's time

This cardinal perched on a TV antenna a few houses away and sang, and sang, and sang, what a lovely sound welcoming spring. It’s not far away, we have a little more winter to go, are getting closer and closer.

What a difference

Wednesday’s drive home was wild, an experience I don’t care to repeat. Snowdrifts across the roads, whiteouts, getting stuck and digging out, emerging from a whiteout to discover I was on the wrong side of the road. I traded ‘war’ stories Friday and learned that more than a few people didn’t make it home and as a result, feel pretty fortunate.

Friday drive home was completely different. Temperature of 6C, most of the snow gone. What a difference.

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Art

Art

The Maker of All Things delicately drew her paintbrush across yesterday morning’s sky.

Waiting

Waiting

This Mourning Dove waited for the right time to flutter to the ground and feed. It’s been a tough winter for songbirds and for all wildlife. I’m gratified to have been able to provide a little help for them. Like the birds, we wait for the snow to melt, wait for plants to begin greening, wait for spring.

Watchful

Tuesday, the day before the storm, our dogs monitored the backyard. I love each of them, they are so different from one another, so unique.

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Remarkable

Remarkable

Yesterday’s storm was a doozy, 15 cm of heavy snow fell in about eight hours. The wind picked up during the day, up to about 60 kilometers per hour or more. The last few klicks of my drive home was harrowing, I don’t care to do that again.

Faye was home and I was, am, grateful. Had she been working away from home I would have been full of worry and concern about her getting home. She cleared the deck, the dogs were safe and comfortable, she generously ensured that there was plenty of sunflower seed scattered for the birds hanging on through this (I hope!) last big storm.

She also took photos, including this remarkable image of snow in our chain link fence. Remarkable. Snow, a most ephemeral substance, gathering, piling, accumulating on the fences’ narrow round fabric despite the incredibly strong gusty wind.

Spare beauty

Spare beauty

I pruned our redbud tree a few weeks ago. In tree years the tree has grown from 3 to six feet and graces us with glorious colour every year. It needed pruning to open the structure up a little.

Faye read that you can bring a limb indoors and force it to bloom. Indeed that is happening. The buds have swelled noticeably, already adding welcome colour to our late winter household.