Snowy Day (Hooray!)

Blurry chickadee photo

We put out bird feeders (5 so far including the suet).   They came.

We were supposed to get 1 - 3 " last night, and more than a foot today.  The forecast has been downgraded to 8" - 1 ft today.   Sigh.   Oh well.  This is almost perfect "try out the snow blower" weather, once the wind slows down.

In the last two days we got groceries, gasoline (for the snow blower and for the generator, in case), and another bird seed bucket.   It is Sunday, and we don't have to go anywhere.   First serious snow falls don't get much better.

Sparrows showed up at the feeders for the first time today, in the storm.

Remnants of Andrea

Knowing we were in for a lot of rain today, most of the time yesterday was spent cutting and spreading grass mulch.   I managed to get the grass catcher on the John Deere by myself, but was glad George checked it.

The potatoes were already under hay mulch, as was vegetable bed #4.    I had started planting, but not enough to hold on to soil.

At the end of the day, all the flat surfaces had some kind of physical barrier to hard rain drops, even if pretty thin.    I stopped as the first drops fell, so didn't get a picture.

The picture at left is from June 4th, just after the second tilling (for weeds), and before any mulch was spread.   The view is to the south/south-east.

Beds # 1, 2, and 3 are shown, with #1 being closest to our house in the distance.   I took the picture next to bed #4, which is in the old pasture.

The green area between beds #1 and #2  is a wide and shallow swale (depression that drains down hill).   We leave this area in permanent grass, because of the heavy clay soils.  The green area in the foreground also stays in grass, because it has some large rocks just under the grass and a couple of young oak trees.

The second picture is of bed #1, just after tilling.   This shows more clearly that the bed is slightly raised, from added organic matter.

West of the beds, a small drainage area runs along the pasture fence, so we aren't likely to expand the beds in that direction.  Bed #3 could be lengthened going east, but that area will probably have a separate small bed for more blueberries.  I prefer to make any more room for vegetables out in the old pasture. 

I like having vegetable beds surrounded by plenty of green buffer area.   The buffer areas reduce stormwater runoff, lower the risk of creating erosion ditches in the clay soils, and help water quality.   Ideally, I like short mowed areas right around the beds, for better access, and longer grass beyond that, to slow down stormwater.

The buffer areas will certainly get a lot of water from Andrea.

Spring into Summer: Changes

It has been a very busy spring.   George and I became a "licensed foster home".

Two kids who were with us for almost two months just went home, and we miss them.    We miss their energy, their bright minds, and their way of looking at things; we miss having someone ask us to check under the beds for aliens and monsters.   They missed their parents and were happy to go home, and that is good.

It has been an unusually dry spring, and some bush hogging got done yesterday.   I don't think I've been able to get the tractor out back
this early in five years.   The crab apple blossoms were out.

George and I are planning to turn over all the garden beds this afternoon with the cultivator.    We'll turn them over a second time in about two weeks, then plant.   I'd like not to disturb the soil this much, but given the weed explosion last year, after I pulled my back, it is probably the best course now.   I may put the third bed into a green manure, but don't have to decide that yet.

We are also thinking about adding a new, little vegetable bed in the front lawn area.   The plan had been to do that for the kids who just left, for their pumpkin seedlings.   Might be nice to still do that, and add some lettuce too.   

Snow Day

Just a little while ago, I could look out over the knick-knacks on the kitchen window sill, and contemplate soon-to-be-green ground.

Not today.  

George cleared the driveway with the John Deere and snowblower, even with a flat tire.   I dug out the vehicles, porch, and paths. 

I'd forgotten and left the top part of the sheep pen door open to the storm, so I got to toss a lot of wet bedding out the barn window again.

Onion, broccoli, marigold, rosemary and lavender seeds are getting going in the basement under lights.   It is only a matter of time.

Wind, wet, and poop on the noggin

We were visited by a big wind this weekend, which kept going hard through Monday.    The wind hit the cedar tree windbreak behind the barn, bounced off, and ran up against the long wall of the barn, shooting skyward, as well as straight into the sheep pen through two small windows that don't close.

There was a big drift in a corner of the pen, several inches within 10 feet of the windows, and 3 to 4 inches up on the rafters!

Good news is that the back half of the sheep pen stayed dry.   The old wether sheep slept in the back.   The old eye kept to her normal favorite sleeping spot up front, and got covered with snow.   With all her wool, she is fine.

I'm just back in the house from working to dig the snow out of the pen.   Got most of the deepest stuff out, and took about 10 inches of hay out of the top of the feeder (it all needs to come out).   Also started forking out wet bedding.   More needs to come out tomorrow.

My back is sore!   I guess this is the official "starting to get in shape for spring" exercise.

I was digging while melting snow was dripping off the rafters on to my  head.   About half way through it occurred to me how much barn swallow poop was on those rafters.   Yuck!!   Now have cleaner rafters, but a dirtier noggin.

After the storm

Note:  click once on photo to enlarge.

 1. Damage to the barn roof - lots of broken shingles on the ground.   That one will need a home equity loan.   Oooooof.   Not in the budget.
2.  Snow blew under the metal garage rolling door, through a 1/2 inch crack, and piled up 2 feet deep inside (with a nice drift shape) (dug).
3. Snow blew in between the door and the door frame of the hay barn.   Probably will lose about 10 - 12 bales that got damp (enough left to get through until spring, and the damp hay will get used in the garden).

4.  One snow shoe blew off the porch and got buried (found).
5.  Farm sign blew off the house (found).

6.  Lots of digging.

7.  Beautiful snow patterns.   Lots of beautiful snow patterns.

Driveway before we started digging

8.  Percy (orange cat) sought out the front window basket today, which is the first sign of spring.

George working on the driveway

Percy in the front window today:  sure sign of spring to come.

This is more like it

This is more like it.  Picture at left is an upstairs window screen, with snow blown into it by the winds, making nice, curvy, waves.

The picture was taken during the early hours of the storm, on Saturday morning.   They are saying now it may start winding down around midnight.

The picture immediately below was also taken early morning from an upstairs window.  That is the small greenhouse.    Not too long until seedling time.

Last picture:  window frost.

Bare ground in February

Looking across back yard toward hay field

First day of February, and we have bare ground out in the hay field.  I took the picture at right yesterday, around sunset.  The snow in the picture is in the back yard, which has some shade.   The hayfield beyond looks dark, because the snow is gone.

The picture below is looking toward the vegetable beds.   Most of the snow in this picture is still there because it is in the shade of the barn.

This is so weird.