Monday, April 9, 2012

Still A Bit Early

The first part of today looked so sunny and lovely that I couldn't help myself. I had to get outside to do some yard work. Of course, as soon as I got out there, a nippy wind picked up and it started to . . . okay, you get three guesses . . . yup, it started to snow. No, it wasn't anything resembling a blizzard. Just lots of ditzy little snowflakes coming down and blowing this way and that.

All I accomplished was to rake the debris from the flower beds around the front deck and cart it away. Next will be to prune the Nine Bark hedge that is right up against the deck and then get down on my hands and knees to do a little more detailed cleaning and take out a few green weeds that are already popping up.

I quit for today because I was getting frozen around the exposed edges, but sweaty inside the hooded sweatshirt and down jacket I needed because of the wind.

So that you can have a good laugh at how far behind you we are way up north here, I'm including a few pictures.

The delphiniums.

A Bleeding Heart bush.

And a clump of day lilies (which will be divided this year).

Cooool temps forecast for us for the rest of the week. Lows at night of 27, 27, 30, 33 and 38 through Friday. Highs? Forty, 43, 42, 45, and 47. But if we get sunshine (and forget that wind, please), I'll be back out there doing what I can.

18 comments:

Erin said...

That figures it starts to snow LOL! Even here, it's been unusually cold at night the past couple weeks, I can't even dream of planting out my seedlings yet as it's been in the high 30's at night, most years they are in the first week of April. What a strange year this will be...

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Sadly that is very similar to what we are going to be getting in the next few days. And we are NOT in the far north. Chance of flurries by Wednesday. Yikes.

Carolyn said...

The weather has turned "cold" here also. Only 70's in the afternoon and 40's at night. Isn't it soooo nice to see some green & growing things after such a long winter without them? Although some of us have to wait a bit longer than others to see that greenery; but I'm sure you appreciate it even more then :)

Anonymous said...

We've had rain (gee, no surprise there) but it's been mild and coming straight down, so that's a nice change. Do a little at a time and it will get done.

Tombstone Livestock said...

80+ degrees here today, and it is supposed to cool down 20 degrees with new rain storm coming in, my poor brocolli has all gone to seed, brussel sprouts had no sprouts are now going to seed, red leaf lettuce is doing good, now I need to pick it and eat a lot of it before it goes to seed too. Foxgloves are blooming and looking good. Somehow Delphiniums and I don't do good, I buy plants every year and a month later they are dead. Looks like a gopher got into my Nastiriums. Iris are coming into full bloom also .... will post pics one of these days.

Katidids said...

I was weeding in my sons gardens this afternoon, I to had to go inside as I was.....wait for it......getting sunburned! 80degrees. So different than the weather back home but I'm soaking up as much as I can 8-D

Anonymous said...

I can so sympathize Mama Pea! That dang wind from Canada has been torturing us too, making it feel so much colder. Feels more like January out there.

Sue said...

I see from our forecast it's supposed to snow the next two days at home. We're supposed to be heading home tomorrow. More pie instead perhaps??? Want to join us??? It's sunny and 60 down here. And there's pie. How many more excuses does one need?
:D

judy said...

Tell me about it ,I live here in MN too. Easter Sunday I walked to the park with katelynn(the 3 year old who can still out run me)We froze out petunies off.(I'm sure I have one of those )I refuse to pull my winter coat back out to go to the Va,I'll just were a extra sweater is all-read my lips,NO MORE WINTER COATS!

Susan said...

Oh, but how we WANT to plant everything NOW! I keep shuffling my seedlings around and promising them that, any day now, they will be out! I am such a liar.

Anonymous said...

Mama Pea, the package came today! :) Thank you so much!!!

dr momi said...

At first I thought the delphinium was a celery root you started :-) Our weather is about the same here -- maybe just a tad warmer. There were snowflakes today :-(

Freedom Acres Farm said...

I'm with Judy!! I'm boycotting winter coats and the flip flop crate is STAYING by the back door!!!!

Akannie said...

It seems to have reverted from July weather back to April here too...lol It never got past 58 today and we have freeze warnings for tonight.

Glad I haven't put anything in the ground after all. LOL

judy said...

And I want to add ,Jerry cancer is holding its own. the tumor on the pancreas is NOT grown and the one on the liver has shrunk,so it was so worth the wait ,for the results

Mama Pea said...

Erin - Keeping my fingers crossed for you that you CAN get your seedlings in soon. We gardeners seem to battle that fine point between having them big enough and robust as opposed to starting to decline because they NEED to get outside in garden dirt!

Jane - Do you think this is going to be another weird gardening year? Drat and dang, I think so.

CR - We truly don't ever get much of a "spring" season. We go from late winter into summer before we see much of any green growing things. Just the way it is, but you're right, we do appreciate it all the more I think.

Ruth - Like all of us, when I have a full plate of "to dos" each day, I really have to concentrate on the fact that every little bit that gets done does add up.

Tombstone Livestock - Your early HOT temperatures have got to make growing the cool weather crops very difficult. We all have our own particular challenges, don't we? I wonder if delphiniums are like the cool weather crops and like cooler temps than you are able to provide?

Katidids - Yup, we have to take it when we can get it as you never know what Mother Nature will give us next!

Stephanie - Yesterday we were in the big city (100+ miles south of us here) and it was so cold (nasty wind) people were walking around with winter jackets and hoods tied around their faces so only eyes and noses peeked out. It was so cold as to be almost unbelievable.

Thanks for letting me know the patterns arrived! Now start quilting!! (Hee-hee.)

Sue - All I can say is load up on heat producing PIE before heading home. (Wouldn't you be cranky if you had about a foot of snow on the ground when you arrived home?)

judy - You froze your petunies off? Love it, have to remember that one! So, so glad to hear the test results on Jerry were good!

Susan - Hey, if you don't keep providing your seedlings hope, who will???

dr momi - Yes! I thought the same thing that the delphinium leaves looked just like celery! Do you think somewhere way back they are related?

Freedom Acres Farm - Flip flops? Makes my toes turn blue and curl up just thinking about them today! Brrrrrr.

Akannie - I think everyone's early "summer" may have caused a lot of seeds to be sacrificed this year!

Cat Eye Cottage said...

We've had lows in the 60s and highs in the 70s and 80s. I'm wearing shorts and tank tops.

Mama Pea said...

The Weekend Homesteader - Shorts and tank tops?! I'm back to turtlenecks and flannel shirts with our cold temps this week! (Isn't it amazing we live in the same country?) ;o)