Monday, March 15, 2010

I started back from Atlanta on Friday, March 12, stopping in Charlotte for the evening. On Saturday morning, with the sun a welcome companion, I went for a bike ride and spotted several wild flowers, including Henbit, Purple Dead Nettle, Persian Speedwell, and Ground Ivy.
As I drove up I-77, I checked the weather in Blacksburg and the forecast was for rain. Luckily, the precipitation held off and when I got to the hollow, I found that the farm road and my road were ice free. One little patch of snow remained up by the house where Mike had dumped an enormous amount, but the rest of the hollow was clear.
On Sunday morning, I went into the greenhouse and my screen covers had stymied the moles or voles. I had spinach and lettuce up, but the sugar snap peas might have to be replanted. I unloaded my truck and decided to caulk the inside of the house. There were a number of gaps in the caulking (typical in a log house) but I had them all fixed in about an hour. I went outside and caulked some more, and overall the lower part of the house looked okay. I would have to get Mike or someone else to help me caulk the upper parts, since there was no way I could handle my big ladder by myself. I walked up to the orchard and trimmed around the fruit trees and on my way back to the house I noticed that the bright yellow flowers of Coltsfoot were blooming, a sure sign of spring.
I drove into town to go for a walk with Rob near his house, and there were no wild flowers to be found. There were several large patches of snow left and the walk was invigorating if chilly.
When I returned home, I still had a couple of hours left so I spread some organic fertilizer on the fruit trees by the house and walked down to the orchard and fertilized the rest. I had a great crop of cherries on one tree last year but a bear got to them and broke several of the branches. Perhaps I will get a share this spring.

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