Prelude To A Storm

Today's snow wasn't the big snow that's still coming. It was the first big flake snow of the winter, a real snow. It was of short duration. Two to four inches was reduced to one to three. Then the first real short snow ended up being another half an inch.

I won't be surprised if all the snow mongering going on right now ends up as just another half an inch. It may be acting like winter now, but this is the wimpiest winter out of nine so far. Knock on wood.

There has to be at least one decent snowfall every winter. Maybe this will be the one. That won't be until Friday/Saturday. Tomorrow I think I'll go to town to do some banking and check on my fish ponds.

Then it will be time for a winter storm. Have at it. Show me some snow.

Me And The Orchid

Word is a snow storm of historic proportions is going to take out Washington DC on Saturday. Maybe. There is a high probability anyway. High in the mountains of WNC, I will be in the path of and on the periphery of this storm. The next four days are looking snowy and wet and snowy.

It's going to be a touch warmer than the low of four degrees this morning. Hence the wet. It was so cold when I woke up it was snowing without a cloud in the sky. The moisture in the air was frozen bits of glitter floating through the sky.

I went to town today to stock up. Who knows when I'll get out next. This is winter. It's just me, the orchid and three kitties looking out on the frozen world.

Single Digits

Slow Life

To An Intermittent Stirring

Winter

It was a bug in the rug kind of day with more cold than snow.

It is the biggest snow of the winter. Woo-hoo. Half an inch. It was cold and windy. I could have trudged through this snow. I would not trudge through the wind.

State and federal tax forms were printed. Tomorrow I might organize receipts. The cats have been threatened with vacuuming. That may not be enough to drive them outside. Tomorrow is going to be colder.

This is winter.

Chop Chop

Round about two o'clock the sun peeked out. There was a meager attempt at the pretense of warmth. Good enough. I went out for some chop and drop in the sunny utility meadow. Another quarter acre of standing dead sticks was laid down. There are plenty more to go.

I could have waited. There is an actual winter weather advisory for tomorrow with the possibility of two whole inches of snow. It could be the biggest snow of the winter so far. That could snap a few stems. I get tired of sitting and being cooped up though. Movement is good. If I can get the cats outside for a while, even better.

Will it be a real snow? It is looking to be the coldest cold with a suggested low of ten. We already did fifteen and the Witch Hazels have taken it in stride.

'Diane' is a little further behind 'Jelena' and with significantly fewer blooms. I have no idea why one cultivar set more flower buds than the other. 'Arnold's Promise' is still closed up tight. It is the last to bloom of the three kinds of Witch Hazels I have. Now that winter is here, it may stick to normal programming.

There is chop and drop left to do in my own garden. In the shade of the forest it is naturally thinner. The easy stuff can wait until last.

Winter is just beginning. A heavy snow and some wicked winds could make the job much easier.

A Soggy Bloom Day

It rained all day. Next up is the possibility of some snow and the lowest temperatures of the winter. I knew it was coming so I took some Bloom Day pictures yesterday while it was sunny and warmish.

Both of my baby 'Jelena' Witch Hazel are in full bloom. They started a month early. Mid to late winter is the normal bloom time. 'Diane' has started blooming too, but it did not set near as many flower buds and is not very showy in comparison.

On warmish days the snowdrops perk back up. They may even open their petals if the sun is out and the temperature is right. In the deep cold they flop over acting like they have been frozen. When the cold has passed they rise unscathed.

In sunny and warmish the creatures will follow. In rain, snow and cold they refuse to go outside. It is good to take them out for a walk when it is at all possible. Even cats that can sleep twenty three hours of the day can get cabin fever. That outcome can be disturbing.

Miss Collar is sniffing out fairies.

The garden would appreciate a blanket of snow if we are going to be headed down to ten degrees.

The other 'Jelena' is tucked into the edge of the forest with one of the 'Diane' alongside my driveway. I look forward to when they are six feet tall and wide and greet me on late winter days when I come home.

It's foliage not a flower. It has evergreen flower like foliage. I have found two keiki from seed of the elegant blooms of the Yucca filamentosa. So far they are plain green and not coming variegated from seed. I'm wondering if they might mature to variegated.

In the barren time I can cheat for Bloom Day if I want. My ever blooming orchid is still in bloom. I neglected to take a fresh picture of that. There may be other cheaters at Bloom Day headquarters in Indianapolis. Go have a look.

Out West

With free roaming mountain lions.

Warm Enough

There was full on sunshine. There was no wind of consequence. There was no snow on the ground. There were not very many degrees to speak of either. I should at least try. I layered up and headed to the ridge top garden with long handled hedge clippers in hand.

Last year I didn't do it and was annoyed come spring when the bulbs came up.

Three hours later half of the garden was completed. I was surprised how much of the chop and drop of the dead dried sticks of the perennial wild flowers I was able to cut down in such a short time. That is a major chunk of the annual hand mowing I do.

You see, I don't like all those dead brown sticks poking up when the bulbs are blooming. It looks so much better with a flat one dimensional surface. The tiny minor bulbs in particular show up much better when they are not competing with four foot tall standing rubbish. The sooner it all hits the ground, the sooner it will decompose.

Normally I wait for a heavy crushing snow to assist. This winter has not been normal and I am beginning to doubt we will get any substantial snow at all. A sunny opportunity presented itself. I got to chopping.

There is only another acre and a half to go.