One warm day

After a week of unseasonably cold and dreary weather, we finally warmed up for just one day.   It wasn't a "nice" day; it was overcast with random rain showers and a blustery south wind, but compared to the previous week of sub-freezing temperatures and the constant threat of snow and sleet, it was wonderful.

As soon as the temperatures rose beyond 45 degrees, I headed out.  The first project was to free the garage containers and the orange tree from their blankets.  It was warm enough to drag the orange back outdoors.  Then, I pulled all the mulch back from the seed beds in the veggie garden.  It was good that I had strung some string over the planting lines or I wouldn't had had a clue as to where those seeds were located.

My family was pleased to send the plants back to the cold frame; they missed the kitchen table. 

The seeds that I had germinated indoors needed to be individually potted up so I moved to the potting table to separate and pot up baby plants.  This turned out to be a bit of a challenge.  When the wind is blowing at 15-20 mph, those little seedlings tended to blow right off the table before I could get them into their new containers. 

After lunch, I rewarded myself with some horse time.  By then, it was beginning to rain periodically but I scraped a little mud from Lily's coat and we rode around the pasture twice before the wind and rain sent us scurrying back to the barn. 

Last night the rain began in earnest and the forecast for this coming week is for rain and colder than normal temperatures.   I enjoyed my one, warm day.

Baby, its cold outside

Apparently, we just imagined that spring was beginning.  Although we haven't experienced the misery of ice storms here in central Alabama, we get to endure some winter temperatures this week. 

I planted my spring garden on February 9th--it was a lovely day with sunny skies and highs in the mid-50s.  Wisely, I marked my planting rows with string and kept deep mulch on either side of those rows because today, I'll be covering up my planting rows with that mulch in an attempt to keep my newly planted seeds from freezing.  Hopefully, they haven't started to germinate yet. 

My cold frame can't handle this kind of cold either, so all the plants in the cold frame will be joining us indoors, along with the big pots from the garage.  If I can figure out a way to do it, I'll also drag the satsuma tree into the house. 

The birds are preparing for the serious cold too.  I wish I had a way to video my bird feeders today.   There are entire flocks of birds in my backyard, roosting in the trees, drinking from the pond, using every perch on the feeders and cleaning up all the scraps on the ground under the feeders. 

But spring is coming?

First bloom of 2015

We've been experiencing erratic winter weather this year.  It is exceptionally warm for a few days and then the temperatures plunge to sub-normal, followed by another cycle of warm and cold.  The plants in my gardens are just a little confused so I have been watching carefully to see which early spring bloomer would blossom first this spring.

We have a winner:  the Lenten rose!  This plant is perfect for my gardening style.  It requires no fertilizer, watering, or pruning,  remains green all year,  propagates itself, and produces a mass of lovely flowers just when I am seriously tired of winter.