February gave us a teasing taste of spring last week. Monday was a good day. It was a bit chilly in the morning, but it was sunny. That morning we heard red-winged blackbirds singing for the first time. They arrived in dozens and took up residence in the marshy fields around the beaver pond. I was so happy to hear them. As soon as the temperature hit 45°, I grabbed my new pruning saw and headed out to prune the orchard. There was still snow covering most of the ground out there. In some places it was still a foot deep. But I didn’t let that deter me. My new saw was sharp and easy to use. I started on the trees closest to the house and began removing unwanted limbs. The pruning saw can handle branches up to three or four inches thick with no problem, but I found branches six inches thick that I needed to remove, which called for more power. I called Kurt and he let me borrow his chainsaw. In just half an hour the big branches were down and I went back to my hand saw to continue the pruning. By then it was a lovely 54°. I worked at it for a few more hours and then went in to eat lunch. After a short rest (I was beginning to feel the effects of strenuous work after months of not gardening), I went back to work. The next step was using the loppers and hand pruner to thin out unwanted twigs and water sprouts. I worked at that until chore time when I quit pruning for the day.
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| After the first day of pruning. |
On Monday Miriam went to work at Wending Creek Farms making maple syrup. The sap is running now and Miriam helps out during boiling season. She said they boiled twenty-five gallons that day. I hope they have a good run this year. We love maple syrup.
The weather was still warm on Tuesday and I wanted to continue pruning, but it started to rain around 9:00 and kept on through the day and into the night. That was frustrating because warm days are rare in February. On Wednesday it began to cool down again, but it wasn’t raining. I’d intended to drag all the branches I’d cut to the burn pile. The snow had retreated quite a bit by then. Some parts of the property were almost clear of it. It was nice to see the ground again. But by 10:00 the temperature had dropped to freezing, so I didn’t get any outdoor work done. We haven’t been much above freezing since then. On Thursday winter reminded us that she’s still in charge. We had warnings that a winter storm was approaching. Word went out at school to expect a delay or cancellation on Friday. The forecast said it would arrive over Thursday night and Friday morning. We hunkered down and waited for it to hit.
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| Snow almost gone in the front yard. |
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| Snow almost gone in the back yard. |
The storm arrived late that night. It fell as a messy mix of rain, sleet, and snow that then froze solid. In the morning, everything was covered with a two inch thick, hard crust. School was canceled. Well, it wasn’t exactly canceled, they held virtual school online, which didn’t involve me. Stacey and Hannah didn’t drive in to work. Anticipating the storm, they’d brought work home with them on Thursday and spent Friday working on those projects. I only went out to do the chores. I would like to think this was February and winter’s last hurrah, but I know better.
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| After the storm. |
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| After the storm. |
I spent Friday morning doing seed and plant orders. I’m not a shopper. I don’t like to shop in person, or even on line. The only exception to that is when I get to go to a nursery and when I get to place seed and plant orders online in late winter. Before I began my shopping, I consulted the price comparison chart I’ve been working on over the last weeks. I did one last edit, eliminating everything but the items for my final purchases. A lot of items I wanted were already sold out and I had to make some adjustments. From the dozens of seed catalogs I consulted, I ended up ordering from five – Dixondale Farms (onion plants), Fedco (fruit trees, seeds, supplies), Jung Seeds (more seeds), Pinetree Gardens (more seeds and asparagus roots), and Swan Island Dahlias (dahlia tubers). Placing my seed and plant orders is exciting. It solidifies plans and dreams that have been swirling in my brain for weeks and weeks. It marks the beginning of this year’s garden with all the hopes, dreams, and possibilities that entails. And now comes the exciting time when I wait for the things I ordered to come in the mail.
Tomorrow is the last day of February – at last. March is an unpredictable month. Some years we get treated to an early spring. Some years (most years, it seems), winter not only lingers, but intensifies as the Vernal Equinox approaches. We almost always see the snowdrops bloom in March. In a good year there will be crocuses too. When the ground was clear for that brief time last week, the snowdrops in the front flowerbed popped right up, only to be buried under snow again. But I know they are there, ready and waiting, and that makes me happy. The week ahead looks to be cold with the high temperatures hovering around freezing. I will try to finish pruning during the week, but not if it’s too cold and windy.
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| Snowdrops, briefly. |
Last week as we were dealing with a winter storm here in the quiet hills of rural Potter County, other events were raging in the world – conflict, destruction, war. I watched some of it from this far-removed and peaceful place and felt sorry for the suffering and turmoil I saw. The world is full of turmoil. I know that these are the last days and these things were foretold in scripture. In Matthew 24:6-8, the Savior told his disciples “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Even so, I cannot watch these things unfold without feeling sadness for the suffering they bring. I feel blessed that I live so far removed from it all and yet I feel a twinge of guilt as I sit here planning gardens and fretting over the weather while other parts of the world are shattered by war. On Friday the First Presidency of the church issued a statement:
“We are heartbroken and deeply concerned by the armed conflict now raging. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has members in each of the affected areas and throughout the world. Our minds and hearts have been turned toward them and all our brothers and sisters.
We continue to pray for peace. We know that enduring peace can be found through Jesus Christ. He can calm and comfort our souls even in the midst of terrible conflicts. He taught us to love God and our neighbors.
We pray that this armed conflict will end quickly, that the controversies will end peacefully and that peace will prevail among nations and within our own hearts. We plead with world leaders to seek for such resolutions and peace.”
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| Sunrise this morning. |
This morning as I stood at dawn in the cold, listening to the birds sing and watching the sun rise, I felt deep gratitude for the peace and quiet of a beautiful Sabbath morning. I long for and pray for peace that I know will not come until Christ returns and ushers in the Millennium. When I selected the hymns for our meeting today, I chose one of my favorites, Come, O Thou King of Kings. The first two verses express precisely how I feel:
We’ve waited long for thee,
With healing in thy wings,
To set thy people free.
Come, thou desire of nations, come;
Let Israel now be gathered home.
And cleanse the earth by fire,
And righteousness bring in,
That Saints may tune the lyre
With songs of joy, a happier strain,
To welcome in thy peaceful reign.
