Recount Requested

 My snow drops are up, and in full flower—the first flower of Spring at my house.

 My Jiffy Pots have been plumped and hydrated--- 

ready for the corn and bean and peas seeds that are putting in their 24 hours at the veggie seed spa that is my kitchen table.

 

I have made a plan to acquire my straw bales and start the “seasoning” process. I am ready for Spring. Let’s DO THIS THING!

Then I woke up to a mini blizzard on Monday. That’s right—snow.

It was my understanding that we were all on the “been there, done that, over it,” page. Did I miss a meeting? Is the consensus that we go back to colder temperatures and shoveling driveways and power outages? Because I don’t remember voting for this. 

Annie & Abby vote 
"Can haz Spring please."

I have lots of gardening chores that are still on my To Do List: giving my private hedge a high and tight haircut is near the top and I’d prefer not to do it in the snow. I’d appreciate it if ya’ll would join me in some magical thinking and get winter behind us.

Even the Indian Plums are ready...

Spring Sprang Sprung

 “Hot enough for you?” Not the phrase you expect to be on people’s lips this time of year, but this weekend was certainly worthy of that exact conversation. Temperatures were well into the 70’s-- and even above that in some locations.

Aiden enjoys the outdoors

Vultures taking the sun

Tea Party

Congrats to the Newest Husky!

It was perfect weather for dining al fresco with friends and neighbors, celebrating milestones—congrats to Maricella—a newly minted “Husky”! Tea parties on the back deck, cuddling babies, moving into a new house—congrats Cameron and Beth! Mowing the grassing, hiking into* Packwood Lake, and all manner of other, outdoor, fair weather activity activities. 

John like cake. Clearly.

Lane didn't get any cake. Sad.

It was really good cake tho

*Disclaimer: we did hike into Packwood Lake. Just not all the way. Most of the way, sure. But once I started post-holing in a snow field that went on as far as the eye could see, well—that seemed a sign from the Patron Saint of Hikers that it was time to turn around. So, we did.

Spring seems to have sprung with intention this year. However, I am a lifelong Northwesterner and this is not my first rodeo. Even as I formulate these words I can feel the clouds rolling in. Good thing I already mowed my lawn. And yes, I call my patch of thatch, moss, and weeds “lawn.” It’s green, and I mow it: lawn. It was also very dusty, so if you were my neighbor? This would have been a very bad weekend to hang your laundry out to dry.

My straw bales are “cooking” nicely. It won’t be long before I’ll be able to plant them. And speaking of plants, I’m really itching to start my annual Nursery-Hopping Road Trip. I guess “trips” plural would be more accurate, because once I start buying flowers it’s hard to stop. 

Speaking of flowers---during our hike on Sunday I spotted a lone Lady Slipper orchid; a fragile wildflower I haven’t seen in years. Perhaps Lady Slippers were just waiting for the perfect spring day to put in their appearance. 

Because Happiness Is the Truth: Pony Edition

 I know what you’re thinking: with all that’s going on these days, she’s going to complain about Weather Whiplash again. And you are --kinda, sorta-- right. While also being wrong. Welcome to 2020.

There is a lot going on, and the weather has not been the least of it. We’ve had drought and smoke. We’ve had fires “next door.” Then the rains came—and like all good Pacific Northwesterners, we greeted its return.

 Three days later, it was hard to believe that imminent conflagration had ever been a concern. Also, could it stop already; and who forgot to turn the winds down to low, because I’m getting really tired of retrieving my canopied porch swing out of the daylilies. 

Now my phone’s weather app is insisting that the weather is going back to sunshine for the foreseeable future. I’m planning on a glorious autumn, while simultaneously trying to figure out how to effectively bargain with Mother Nature to keep snow out of my driveway this winter. Because el Nino/la Nina—whichever one it is that dumps snow in my driveway--has been forecasted to close out 2020. Based on my previous experiences with 2020, I tend to believe this will not be a lot of fun.

Still—even in the midst of all that I could—and often DO—complain about? 2020 has seen some incredible blessings. Not the least of which is the birth of my Grand Aiden, and the marriage of Cam to his beloved Beth. I’ve developed closer bonds with my neighbors; my pumpkin vines didn’t actually impede traffic. I’ve appreciated the small, daily blessings that often go unnoticed—Look! An actual LETTER! In the MAIL! I’ve witnessed random acts of kindness, made new friends. (I know! During a pandemic! But it’s true.)

My wish for all of us, as we head into the last flurry and fury of 2020, is that we are like that optimistic little boy who, when confronted with a room full of horse dung, gleefully said “Thank you, Universe! There must be a pony in here someplace!”

Here’s hoping you find your pony. 

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Weather Whiplash

I was diagnosed the other day with a very serious condition---true, it was a self-diagnosis, but I believe valid all the same. The self-diagnosis waiting room is always lot less crowded and the magazines are better. And it’s a lot less scary than googling stuff on WebMD. Self-diagnosis has fewer yucky pictures. So, in short, self-diagnosis is like regular diagnosis, only with less. And the co-pays are surprisingly affordable.

Where was I? Oh, yes! My diagnosis.

I knew something was seriously wrong when I found myself debating every little decision. Did I want hot tea, or iced tea? Shoes or sandals? SPF or umbrella?  Long pants? Shorts? Did I have to make hay while the sun shone or could I save it for a rainy day? Clearly, I was suffering from Weather Whiplash.

According to Wikipedia—or at least it will as soon as I upload the definition—Weather Whiplash is what happens to you when the weather moves from one extreme to the other in a short period of time. The weather is careening from Cold and Damp, to Hot and Miserable, and back again, with very few stops at Mild and Lovely along the way. SPOILER ALERT: Mild and Lovely is my preferred weather destination. That’s where I like to summer. Please forward my mail.

Hydrangeas don't care for the heat

Symptoms of weather Whiplash include inability to dress one’s self appropriately, overgrown lawn, and---at least in my case—the tendency towards irritability and a fondness for recalling previous weather phenomenon, often at length. Persons suffering from acute Weather Whiplash have been observed wearing fuzzy sox indoors while the A/C is cranked to Arctic levels, just in case the sun comes back out by Golly the house is not going to be hot!

Why use one umbrella when MORE is better?

There is no known cure for Weather Whiplash. All we can do is treat the symptoms and wait for July. In the meantime, enjoy this picture of my hydrangeas, hiding from the heat. They have Weather Whiplash too.