In Like A Lamb

"Tete-a-tete" narcissus in the mudroom flowerbed

March arrived today, coming in like a lamb. We had partially sunny skies and it hit a high of 53 degrees. Looking at the 10 day forecast, I think this lamb-like spell is to be short lived. Snow is being predict for the upcoming weekend and the temperatures are dropping. So we will enjoy today's tease, knowing we still have 20 more days of Winter left on the calendar.

Out Like A Lamb.......

Well, after a month of cold, overcast, damp days, we finally got a small taste of Spring today! There were still clouds in the sky, but at least you could see some blue. And by 5:00 PM the temperature read 65 degrees. After work I was able to come home and take a small walk around the house without a coat on. This is progress! And the most exciting part of today..the return of the Swallows! There were 4 or 5 flying high in the sky when I left for work this morning. By tonight we must have had over 20 circling. They have already been checking out the houses, taking notes. I love hearing their familiar "chirping". It is finally feeling like Spring, at least for a day.

My companion for tonight's walk was thrilled with the change in the weather too. Tom-Cat quickly ran to his favorite bench and flopped.

Fortunately, he was so busy enjoying some bench time that he didn't spy this sweet little guy who was munching on the fresh, green grass. I hope that you got to enjoy this first bit of Spring weather today too!

* edited note: The newspaper reported the next day that we received at least a trace of rain everyday in March! No wonder it felt so miserable. The total rainfall was 6.24 inches, the most since March of 1997.

Almost Spring

When I went outside this morning, we had mostly blue skies. As long as the clouds didn't blow by and cover the sun, it was quite pleasant out. But every now and then, the sky would momentarily darken and the wind would whip up. A gentle reminder that today is the last day of Winter. It was nice enough to take a walk, so off I went. Right outside the front door, we have two Daphne plants - one on each side of the steps. Their blooms have finally opened and each time the wind blew it was filled with that unmistakable scent.

The leaves on the Crab Apple have begun to unfurl. They are blood red at this time of the year and really contrast with the greens and browns of the landscape.

March is really daffodil time in Oregon and ours are starting to peak. Above, one of three very happy clumps of "tete-a-tete" that we have growing in flower beds by the house.

This is a new variety that we planted last fall , "Jet Fire". It has nice orange trumpets.

Little "Segovia" planted at the edge of the bank. These are only 6" tall, but reliably come back year after year.

Our two "February Gold" that survived getting chomped by the deer!

And the good old "King Alfred" daffs are just starting to open.

A close-up of crocus planted in a pot on the front porch.

The bright, cheerful face of a pansy, also growing in a pot. And below, after escorting me on my walkabout his morning, Tom-Cat settled on the porch to do some bird watching in a block of sunshine.

A Late Winter Walk-about

Last night it began just pouring rain around 5:30 PM and continued raining hard until at least 10:00 PM. The storm had cleared when I woke-up and in the afternoon I took a walk around the property. I hadn't been up to visit the Crab Apple Tree for awhile and was really pleased to see that it had broken dormancy and the buds have begun to swell. Its branches were just covered in beautiful, deep red tips. This will be its second Spring at our house after being planted Mother's Day of 2009. I can't wait to see the show it puts on this year!

I also found hiding in the grass this sweet little snowdrop. When we moved to this property, we moved six large clumps of snowdrops from the other house. Well, we obviously aren't gifted at moving snowdrops! This year we have a whopping 2 blooms to show for our work! Well, maybe this little guy will set seed and start to naturalize. We can only hope!

Because of all the heavy rains that we have had the last week or so, the creek is really running strong right now.The water is muddy brown and it is making a lovely roaring sound.

The "February Gold" daffodils are just about to open. The sad reality is the deer, who aren't suppose to eat daffodils, have munched off the top of every bloom but two! So, ta-da. here is this years display. I am starting to see a trend here.. two "February Gold".. two Snowdrops....

The Hellebore on the secret path are also blooming. They are a pleasant shock of color in an otherwise shady spot.

And the Shooting stars on the secret path continue to grow too. I love their chubby, fat leaves.

And I had to post a picture taken down at the big garden. Here is one corner of my garden, the day after a heavy rain. Only about 2" of standing water. Can you tell that I garden in a wetlands area..Yikes!

In like a Lamb.............

After an amazingly rainy February 28th, today was mild with blue skies and sun this afternoon. I remembered to check back on my little clump of "tete-a-tete" that I weeded around in early February. As you can see about 2/3 of the buds are now open. The rains and the snow of the past week haven't damaged them at all. That is just one of the great things about daffodils. They are, for the most part, tough and strong - especially the small narcissus. Looking at that clump, I desperately need to put divide the "tete-a-tete" on next Fall's to-do list!

Early March..In like a Lamb.

Well, the calendar has changed pages and it's now officially March. The weather has continued its rhythm of mild, mostly dry days. Yesterday was amazing. Solid blue skies all day and it was already 50 degrees by 11 AM. It topped out somewhere in the low 60s. It was one of those days where it was close to impossible to stay indoors "and get stuff done". Plants continue to burst from the ground, leaf out, and bloom at a much earlier than normal schedule. When I was filling the bird feeder, down in the big garden yesterday, I noticed the first batch of violets were blooming. I think these violets are ancestors of violets planted many, many years ago by the gardens first keepers. Dorothy's first violets were obviously happy and have multiplied all over. Interestingly, these are three different colors that bloom at three distinct times. The whites are always first. Right as they finish up the magenta violets open. And the show is always finished by the true dark violet colored ones.

I also discovered yesterday during my walk that the wild Lamb's Tongues have not only come up but are getting close to sending up their bloom stocks. It's important to look closely where you are walking this time of year. The main path is littered with small plants, hidden among the leaf litter and moss.