Eleven degrees when we got up this morning! Tomorrow we will feel high 60s by 3 pm, more tolerable temperatures. I pulled the wintering geraniums out of the crawl-space this afternoon, cut the dried dead growth, potted them in new soil and watered gently, and placed them in a sunny window. The cabbage seeds that were started three days ago have sprouted. And just for kicks and grins, I checked the hummingbird site to see if the journey north has begun yet. Ruby-throated hummingbirds have been sighted in Central Florida, the Panhandle, and coastal Mississippi the last couple of days. They are trekking north. I can't seem to win the lottery but Cherokee County has summons me to jury duty again next week.
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Grilling burgers in 38 degrees. Dang!! We're ready for spring. My day lilies are emerging and the stores are filled with seeds, bulbs, and hummingbird feeders. I checked my hummingbird site to see how far north the HBs have migrated and surprisingly, one was spotted in Matthews, NC on 2/16. It must anxious for spring, too. We don't expect to see any until the first of April but I'm always on the lookout for a rogue after the middle of March.
Sometimes procrastination pays off. The last couple of days have been delightful, 68 degrees and sunny. Cliff cranked up the chainsaw to take down a pine tree that would be throwing too much shade on the vegetable garden this year. I watched from my sewing room window as the breeze controlled the swaying pine. My thought was that I wouldn't be taking down a 40-foot pine on such a breezy day. Instead of falling into the open garden, the pine fell onto the driveway where the new fence would have been if we hadn't procrastinated so long. Then I had to tell Cliff, that wasn't even the tree I wanted removed. This was the pine that would be throwing too much shade and needed to come down. It was taller than the first one he cut and landed exactly where he planned. The wood is no good to burn in our stove so he'll cut the trunk into manageable pieces and roll them down hill into the woods. In another couple of weeks we'll till the gar...
What a difference a week makes. Our temperature today reached 64 degrees with mostly sunny skies. What a pick-me-up! Later this week we could be under severe thunderstorm watch. Our Farmers Market begins the first weekend of April and sign up is the last week of March. I'm seriously thinking about reserving a spot to sell my aprons, toddler bucket hats, and other items I've been sewing. Stay tuned.
From my mother's collection of comics she enjoyed so much. Click on Ziggy and enlarge for older eyes to read. Third day cabinbound due to winter storm Pax. I've done well. Haven't baked any chocolate cakes but have been enjoying my Cabernet each afternoon. trees heavy with ice and snow Sky's mood changed rapidly as I stood in the driveway taking pictures. We only had about 2 more inches this morning when we woke. The snow is heavy and moist under the layer of icy crust but melting as the temperature rises to a whopping 36 degrees. By next Tuesday and Wednesday, we suppose to see 60 degrees!
Mutant snowman sitting on the porch rail, made quickly from wet sticky porch snow this morning. Orange slice mouth, carrot nose, two stones from the driveway, and a crushed doll hat. Within 1/2 hour, it was found splattered on the porch floor, probably toppled by a rogue squirrel that ran amok when it could get any seed from the feeders. Evil squirrels.
Our weather has been more seasonal, 30's at night and low 50's during the day for a high. Quite pleasant for outdoor activities. This afternoon I rummaged the woods for dry dead kindling and Cliff filled the wood rack on the back porch again. The Weather Channel is putting the next wintry mess right over us for Tuesday and Wednesday. We're in for an icy couple of days. My guess is that it's not really a winter storm as it hasn't been named. My birds have plenty of seed and suet and I'll be making more warming winter soups and probably another small chocolate cake to go with the wine to get us through this year's crazy NC winter. Cliff wishes he were in Florida. I really don't mind it if it's only a few days and by Friday we'll be back in the 50's again. The garden will need to be tilled around the first week of March so I can plant my snap peas and a few weeks later get the potatoes in the ground. So in my mind, spring is not that fa...
Yesterday was Olivia's 5th birthday. 5 yrs ago today I've been making tapioca pudding for about 47 years now. In the olden days, pre-microwave, I donned my aprons, stood over a burner, and tirelessly stirred the tapioca forever so as not to burn it. Then somewhere in the 80's, I came across a microwave recipe for tapioca pudding making wearing aprons and slaving over a hot burner obsolete. Not really. I still tie on one of my many whimsical aprons and stand at a burner stirring and fussing over food. It's who I am. But microwave tapioca is a great invention. Sunday as I poked the press in tear top back tab on a new box of tapioca, for the first time ever, I noticed the words shake box b...