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Spring 2013!
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Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie
(last edited Mar 20, 2013 07:07PM)
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Mar 20, 2013 07:03PM
Happy first day of Spring!
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The calendar says Spring but the temps say it's still Winter! lolNot much going on in my garden yet though buds are beginning to show. It's so cold even the crocuses are refusing to bloom yet lol! Lots of Snowdrops along the back fence which I love.
We barely had winter the last couple of years & early Springs and we had hurricanes 2 years in a row so I am perfectly okay with having had a normal Winter this go around and now temps in the 30s on the first day of Spring! lol
We had a heavy hail storm last night,rare for here. So loud it woke me up at 2:00 in the morning, couldn't get back too sleep so pretty useless at work today.Poor daffodils took a beating, but today the sun is shining and it's like it never happened.
Love a spring garden, watching new growth emerging excites me just as much as the 1st flowers do.
I'm crazy for snowdrops as well, can never have to many. Like how you can dig & divide them even when in bloom. So tough & delicate at the same time.
The grey day was made pretty & peaceful by snow showers that lasted much of the day but didn't stick to anything here on the coast and then the sun came out about 5pm through sunset which was lovely as well! I love that brilliant golden light streaming in through the windows at that time of day!
Last year, the high temperature today = 81 degrees (abnormal). Today, right now, temp - 18 degrees. Something is definitely out of sync. Probably all the fault of global warming :)Forcast for 2 to 5 inches on Sunday. As cold as it is, it will stick. This is getting really old.
Miss Jessie, your Easter bunny will have to borrow Santa's sleigh next Sunday. I guess this protracted winter is good for the ski industry.
I guess so re the ski industry; alas, not too much of that here in central Indiana :)
Well, a winter storm warning is in effect here for tomorrow thru Monday. 10" snow predicted. I have had ENOUGH already :)Pretty here today though; cool in the mid 40's but not a cloud in the sky. I did the grocery shopping thing and it was another case of "end of the world is coming" scenario --people are insane. Even the Amish store was packed more than usual. People are also weird.
DH brought in a huge load of firewood and I plan to spend tomorrow in front of the fireplace, messing with my houseplants and reading.
The cataract surgery (left eye) went fine and I am about back to not noticing it at all. Everyone was correct -- there is nothing to it. I thank you all for your kind wishes and encouragement.
MissJessie wrote: "Well, a winter storm warning is in effect here for tomorrow thru Monday. 10" snow predicted. I have had ENOUGH already :)Pretty here today though; cool in the mid 40's but not a cloud in the sky..."
Great to hear the eye surgery went fine. So many procedures have improved over the years and that is definately one of them.
Finally made it back above freezing yesterday, but not by much. We are having very gradual melting which is great as the snow pack is pretty deep and there are concerns if we have a rapid thaw there will be massive flooding. The current storm coming across the country is going south of us and I am grateful. I'm really tired of shoveling. Also the bone chilling wind has finally died down and that is another big plus.
Glad your eye surgery went well MissJessie!Winter weather advisory today! Seems to be a rain - snow mix for now.
Great your eye surgery was so successful MissJessie. Can I ask you though, did it hurt, did it hurt afterwards. My Very Old Man friend has to have it (he is 83) and a bit worried about pain.
I was apprehensive about the pain too since my Lasix surgery hurt like hell.NO pain. Once or twice a little pressure, but no pain. They gave me some kind of IV sedation (though it did not make me sleepy) which apparently takes the edge off. I was still completely aware of what was going on and able to follow commands but it was just interesting, not hurtful. Also kind of wet. They keep sluicing down the eye in question which also minimizes any sensation.
THe most interesting part was the light show. You can't see out of the eye as in seeing things, but you can see light. I got a persistent vision of three little things like mushrooms sprouting from far away --they also kind of resembled the wormy monsters from bad scifi with no teeth. They pulsed with my pulse so I could see I was alive. These weren't constant but did come and go, very odd.
When they were dissolving my old lens there were lots of scattered prism like effects, very pretty.
Also at one point the light was quite bright, but I had been warned and it didn't last more than 10 seconds.
AFterwards, I could only see a very very cloudy image from the eye (could not see past the car hood) until the next day, when it cleared up completely, and rather suddenly. Swelling I believe.
ABSOLUTELY no pain, you can reassure him.
The only thing that caused any discomfort at all was a couple of the drops they put in pre-op (and there are lots of them) sting a bit. But not beyond tolerance. And of course the IV since I have tiny veins but that's not the fault of the cataract procedure.
Tell him that if I didn't feel pain (and I complain A LOT if I do and lectured the physician beforehand re my expectations re comfort) he won't either.
Thank you for the detailed information MissJ, I'm glad the procedure went so well for you. Will you need glasses now?
It's melting, it's melting!! Almost made it to 40 degrees today.
We got to 51* yesterday with no harsh winds. Bleeding Heart and Peonies are emerging from the soil and the Crocus are blooming! Yay!
It's sunny here today for a miracle, but high only 41 they say. Still, sun is nice.Petra, according to the doctor, implants take a couple of months to stabilize focally. Right now, I can see well most of the time with occasional blur outs.
I will probably need readers but the goal was to have good "infinite" site (no glasses for driving, etc.). I told him I would be EXCEEDINGLY unhappy with him if this did not occur, so live in hope.
77 here today. Bloody hot.What do you do to people who make you EXCEEDINGLY unhappy MissJ?
Well, not to be obnoxious, but few people are interested in being on the receiving end of my sarcasm. He (dr) was telling me about what to expect on my first visit. I am visual (in the head, so to speak) so closed my eyes to visualize what he was saying. He got chippy and said "OPEN your eyes, I am trying to show you something (model eyeball)."
I said, quietly, Life's a bitch and then you die...I know what eyeballs look like (I worked in ophthalmology for 15 years and saw one of these operations).
He backed off and eventually we ended up laughing.
Anyway, I can be, so I am told, quite sarcastic. But I never raise my voice or anything like that; yell and you automatically lose.
Otherwise, I am a very sweet natured, even tempered flower of a woman.
Weather people have instructed us to enjoy the next two days of breaking 40 degrees as we are going back into the freezer for the week-end. The Easter Bunny might want to consider wearing a down jacket.
MissJessie wrote: "And VERY LARGE earmuffs."Yes!
Osho wrote: ""So nice to see some green growing things! Thanks for sharing.
Supposed to rain during the night. I hope it does as it will help to melt more snow. I'm sweating an ice dam I have on the roof on the north side of my house. With my new shingles it shouldn't be a problem but it's making me nervous anyway.
I saw my first daffodils blooming today, a welcome site indeed. They were at a Wendy's restaurant in Hamilton, Ohio, just a little patch by the drive-thru. But what a cheerful sight.
I know where Hamilton Ohio is. I used to live in a tiny town called Franklin Ohio! I saw some blooming flowers today as well. Daffodils are blooming in some places here in Asheville NC. It is such a nice sight to see after this weeks weird weather. I think spring is finally arriving.
I am hoping to go to the garden center this week and get some potting mix. I have some seeds I'd like to start.
My lilies are coming up very nicely. I am so excited to see them finally poking their little heads out to say hello! : )
Major snow melt in the last 24 hours. Rained during the night and made it to 51 degrees today! The 3 foot stack on my porch table is now about a 12 inch lump. Back to reality tomorrow--low 30s and howling winds are coming in again. Monday is the Minnesota Twins baseball opener and some genius decided it should actually be played in Minnesota. I wonder how good the turnout will be at the game? Minnesotans are hardy but they're not crazy. Who wants to watch baseball in 4 degree windchill?
Well, for me, who wants to watch it at all :) Not my favorite sport. OtOH, I've watched football in zero weather; froze my shelala off and drank from a communal whisky bottle from strangers (and I don't like whisky) to keep sort of warm. It's a wonder we all didn't either get pneumonia or the common cold from the bottle. It's a matter of stupidity, isn't it?I heard on the radio the Cincinnati Reds open on Monday and it's supposed to be in the 40's with snow flakes. Not in this lifetime...
And on the other, other hand, I've sat more than several times shoulder to shoulder on metal bleacher seats, though with backs, in upper 90 degree weather and humidity in an excavated bowl with no breeze whatsoever drinking beer (and I dislike beer) by the can, never having to make a pitstop, if you take my meaning, due to sweat, wearing earplugs and ear muffs to block sound and shades to block the sun and a baseball hat (because that's what one wears) to shade the top of the head and SWEATED like a bovine to enjoy watching grown men drive around and around and around 1.5 miles of banked oval at nearly 200 mph, standing up at every restart and for the final few laps and screaming my head off like everyone else. Marvellous!! Then tearing out thru the acres of parking lot, looking for the car leaping in and holding on while my buddy Tom swears and tries to get out on the interstate to get home in the traffic from over 100,000 people. Then finally getting back to his house, piling in my car, driving to the hotel, taking a shower because you can't believe how good that feels and falling into bed. Oh, and drinking several gallons of water along the way to try to stay hydrated and not faint from heat stroke (I did that once, very embarrassing).
I just sent off my check for this year's race.
Going to be 70 degrees today in the N.W. Daffs are in bloom, Hellebores are gorgeous, early rhodies are coming into flower in this paradise we live in.called Wa. state.Planted the rest of my potatoes yesterday and started weeding the buttercup. I keep telling myself they look like primrose leaves. (Ha)
New and unusual primroses are now available at my favorite nursery (Christianson's)
Peace on earth to all of you !
Elizabeth wrote: "Going to be 70 degrees today in the N.W. Daffs are in bloom, Hellebores are gorgeous, early rhodies are coming into flower in this paradise we live in.called Wa. state.Planted the rest of my potat..."
You live in Washington Elizabeth? I'm right above you then, similar zones. I've spent the weekend gardening as well. Daffs must be the most cheerful flower ever invented, windy today & clouds of pink cherry blossoms are blowing all over the place. Great day to be a gardener!
Our garden has both nematodes and stem borers in the soil! This makes it difficult to grow any kind of squash or sweet potatoes (which helped infest the soil in the first place). Does anyone know of an organic way to truly get rid of these pest?
Going to change some of my perennial beds to include shrubs. Taking care of all these perenials is getting overwhelming. Will put in rhodies like wonderful P.J.M.,Pieris ( so many new varieties), and skimmia and more.
we got up to 65* yesterday! I had all of the windows & doors open once I got home from spending the day out with Mom. It was glorious to air out the home and great to have her out on such a nice day. Today we're at 42* with wind chills in the 30s LOL!
Isn't it great,Jo? I aired out my house for the first time this year on Sunday. Whew! A lot of shoots are finally peeking through the surface and I saw three bright yellow finches this morning in my yard. I put the hummer feeders up today so that I will catch them in early migration and potted two baskets of spring flowers: hyacinths, daffs, English daisies,pansies and Johnny jump ups. It's chilly and very windy here, still below freezing at night but the sun makes up for it in the daytime. Ahhh....
It is! I love watching the Bleeding Heart foliage return each Spring by leaps & bounds each day every Spring! I can't remember how to post photos in the comments lol but I uploaded it to my goodreads here: http://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/8...
MissJessie wrote: "And on the other, other hand, I've sat more than several times shoulder to shoulder on metal bleacher seats, though with backs, in upper 90 degree weather and humidity in an excavated bowl with no ..."Love it! We all have our passions. You all know my sports passion is hockey and you just dress for the occasion and go with the flow.
12 degrees here this AM. We have a ways to go before anything will be poking through the soil. There are finally bare spots in the yards and the snow is ALMOST gone off of the roof of my house. I'm pretty sure the apple tree in my front yard has passed away. I'm reserving judgement for a few more weeks, but I think it's a goner. Makes me sad as my girls and I planted it when they were little.
Raining but not cold so will plant rhubarb starts, (never can have to many)and snow peas.Bought 24 little starts of fuchsias so should pot them up into gallons. Could not resist the price. Does anyone know the one named "Claudia"?
It's snowing. Not a big deal but so disheartening.
What's the temperature, Cheryl? I don't know how you do it, that kind of weather would drive me crazy.
Oh Cheryl, snow would be so awful. BUT it has happened here at this time of yr as well. But please God not this year.It was in the 60's and sunny today, absolutely beautiful. Airing the house was wonderful.
But it's supposed to be cloudy although in the 60's tomorrow and then rain all next week. Blech.
But of course, better than the alternatives, e.g., solid rain :)
I am giving all the houseplants a good thorough in the sink watering and cleaning off and going to repot a bunch tomorrow or Sunday. They are looking winter-tired, but then, so am I.....
I plan to buy another set of shelving to put in front of the windows and expand the layout. It's too crowded right now and too easy to miss watering someone.
It's kind of challenging to arrange the plants because of the need to put all the long skinny leafed ones up high enough Elwood the backup cat can't get to them to taste. Bless him.
peg wrote: "What's the temperature, Cheryl? I don't know how you do it, that kind of weather would drive me crazy."Unfortunately this is typical spring for us. It's usually pretty wet and cold until the end of April. We're supposed to have rain for three days starting on Monday, but tomorrow is supposed to be dry and might make it to 50. If so I will be out working on digging out my Siberian iris monster.
Since I lost my head at Garden Club the other night and "volunteered" to be on the Club's garden tour in July (someone else dropped out) I have a ton of work to get done. I enjoy all of it except mowing lawn. Since my grandson moved away I can't get him to do it anymore. Bummer!
Boy are you right about grandsons! We live on an acre part on a hillside and with my grandson it would be impossible. I have to carry everything down the hill to my garden and greenhouse. What were we thinking 25 years ago!!We also work together in peoples' gardens and do everything from pruning, planting gardens,containers,weeding and more.
Hurray for grandsons!!!!!
Elizabeth wrote: "Boy are you right about grandsons! We live on an acre part on a hillside and with my grandson it would be impossible. I have to carry everything down the hill to my garden and greenhouse. What were..."Amen to that!
Oh joy--here comes another snow storm and just when all the snow had finally melted off of the roof of my house.
LOL Cheryl. Have you considered a more equitable climate when you reach your golden years? (How much snow?)
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