We had some nasty weather last week – snow, rain, freezing rain, more snow. It’s just what you’d expect in February, but we’ve been so spoiled by this mild winter that it seemed worse than usual. School was canceled on Tuesday because of the ice, the first snow day we’ve had this year. That seemed to throw our schedule off kilter. The days seemed especially long and gray and cold.
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| Ice coated crab apple tree on Tuesday. |
I caught a head cold early in the week which probably accounts for my dim and dismal recollections of the week. I spent a good amount of time under blankets or huddled by the wood stove in a Nyquil induced stupor.
By Friday I was feeling much better. My head cold was starting to ease off and my spirits began to rise, helped along by that wonderful day of days – Seed Ordering Day. Yes, the tax return was here and it was time to order seeds, plants, and supplies for the Garden of 2016! I usually hate shopping, but Seed Ordering Day is different. It only happens once a year. I don’t have to leave home. I don’t have to deal with people. I get to take out the list I’ve been working on all winter and make it real by placing orders for it all. Now over the next few weeks my orders will arrive in the mail and it will seem like Christmas, my birthday, Hanukkah – every great gift-giving event happening over and over again.
At the end of the week we had a thaw. I woke up Saturday morning to the sound of icicles falling off the house. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear. My sinuses were almost clear. I looked at the thermometer and it was already 40°. Right away the very first thought that came to me was – it’s Pruning Day! I usually prune in late February or early March -- it all depends on the weather, how much snow is on the ground and how cold it is. Saturday was perfect – not too much snow and not too cold. Josiah and I headed out at 11:00 with pruners, loppers, and saws and spent several hours in the orchard. Josiah likes to climb trees, so I let him prune the two big apple trees. I pruned all the smaller trees. I inspected all the trees and they look good – no winter kills or damage that I could see. When we were done with the fruit trees, we moved to the front yard to work on the maples. I don’t really prune the maple trees, but I like to take out what dead wood I can. These are old trees and there are always dead branches. Again, Josiah did all the climbing. I don’t know how he does it. He goes so high into the trees. It makes me queasy just watching him. So we took care of all the trees. It’s nice to be done with it now for a year. It was nice to be out in the sunshine and the relative warmth (47° is warm for February). It was warm enough that the bees were out doing a winter cleansing flight. I was happy to see that they’ve survived so far.
By Friday I was feeling much better. My head cold was starting to ease off and my spirits began to rise, helped along by that wonderful day of days – Seed Ordering Day. Yes, the tax return was here and it was time to order seeds, plants, and supplies for the Garden of 2016! I usually hate shopping, but Seed Ordering Day is different. It only happens once a year. I don’t have to leave home. I don’t have to deal with people. I get to take out the list I’ve been working on all winter and make it real by placing orders for it all. Now over the next few weeks my orders will arrive in the mail and it will seem like Christmas, my birthday, Hanukkah – every great gift-giving event happening over and over again.
At the end of the week we had a thaw. I woke up Saturday morning to the sound of icicles falling off the house. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear. My sinuses were almost clear. I looked at the thermometer and it was already 40°. Right away the very first thought that came to me was – it’s Pruning Day! I usually prune in late February or early March -- it all depends on the weather, how much snow is on the ground and how cold it is. Saturday was perfect – not too much snow and not too cold. Josiah and I headed out at 11:00 with pruners, loppers, and saws and spent several hours in the orchard. Josiah likes to climb trees, so I let him prune the two big apple trees. I pruned all the smaller trees. I inspected all the trees and they look good – no winter kills or damage that I could see. When we were done with the fruit trees, we moved to the front yard to work on the maples. I don’t really prune the maple trees, but I like to take out what dead wood I can. These are old trees and there are always dead branches. Again, Josiah did all the climbing. I don’t know how he does it. He goes so high into the trees. It makes me queasy just watching him. So we took care of all the trees. It’s nice to be done with it now for a year. It was nice to be out in the sunshine and the relative warmth (47° is warm for February). It was warm enough that the bees were out doing a winter cleansing flight. I was happy to see that they’ve survived so far.
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| Josiah in the top an apple tree. |
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| Knocking down dead limbs in the maples. |
On our way to church this morning, just past Shongo, New York, we saw a bald eagle perched atop a telephone pole. We pulled over and I got a picture of it. I wish I’d had my telephoto lens with me, but I didn’t. Also, you may remember the hurt hawk we found a few weeks ago. The game commissioner who came and took it dropped by the other day to tell me the hawk had made a full recovery and has been released. I was glad to hear it.
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| Bald eagle, Shongo, New York. |
Dinner is almost ready. We’re having potato soup – a perfect meal for a chilly Sabbath afternoon. Kurt is out of town, so this evening Julie is coming to our house.
We had several pretty sunrises last week. I love to watch the sun come up. It makes my day seem so much nicer when it starts with an inspiring sunrise. And so I close with the sunrises on Friday and this morning.
We had several pretty sunrises last week. I love to watch the sun come up. It makes my day seem so much nicer when it starts with an inspiring sunrise. And so I close with the sunrises on Friday and this morning.
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| Sunrise on Friday. |
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| Sunrise this morning. |
