Was a sunny day in Pa yesterday, but very windy. I still managed to get a sunburn on my neck and right arm.
Activities included, having to take down one of the 2+ story high branch of the 5 branch white birch by tree trimmers.
Then I trimmed the magnolia and flowering cherry on the lower trunks, continued tearing out 1/2 dead blue rug juniper that was planted on the slope around the pool in the 70s. Gosh I will be sooo glad when that project is done!
I was dived bombed with a few big black flies and found and ant hill when pulling some weeds. I was really suprised to see the honey bees, swarm the corn meal I broadcasted where I am planting melons this year. They were happy campers playing in the corn meal.

The outhouse plants, delphinium, peony, daylilies, shasta, rhubarb, campanula, clematis, hostas and balloon flowers popped out of the ground seemly overnight.

Overcast today and suppose to get snow showers tonight.
But we are taking down an old apple tree.
I suppose I should take before and after pics of the reno project. I think the 100 zinnia seedlings are going to look awesome this year while I underplant Wsd perennials that will flower next season.

I wish I could say it is beautiful here! It is very cold and I saw a few snowflakes fall about 7am. It won't be nice until Thursday. Now I will have to force myself to do something like housework. BLAH Sybil

It felt soo good to get outside yesterday, the temps were in the 50's a little nippy but just right for workin, not to hot & if ya keep busy ya don't get cold ") LOL I started a new bed in the front along the woods for all the new babies this year. We have been & will still be picking up limbs from the ice storm, so far we have a pile in the front yard & one in the back & still another by the veggie garden to burn when we get a calm day for it, not to mention all the larger ones we have cut up for firewood, & still plenty that we have hauled to the pasture along the back fence. The strawberrys that I set out 3 weeks ago are really happy in their new home, of coarse they like their straw blanket on chilly nights. All the jug babies still have their tops & all the cup babies get moved into the garage quite often. I am having a blast with this WS stuff ") it still really amazies me! I still have more to sow but I have to get more soil ") Hollyhocks are comming up from last year & so is the naked ladies, iris, butter & egg, we still haven't seen any poke anywhere? Hummm, it's usually up by now. I think I'll get a cup of coffee & my fuzzy house coat & wonder around the yard & just relax, & listen to the birds singing.")
Ya all have a good day ")
Jan ")

squirrel ate one of my tulips, down to the %$$^% GROUND

(I know, Im not the only one).

Im going to plant every single toxic plant known to man and let them eat THAT for lunch.

:)

Busylizzy...I wonder what was so attractive to those bees? I'm so with you on that Blue Rug Juniper...yucky! So many nicer choices:D

Jan....I'm guessing you're in MO?
Would it work to do a "free firewood; you cut...you haul" type offer or at least part of it? Unless it's for you own use. That could save a lot of work I'm thinking. Maybe some of the stuff is suitable for smokers like cherry, apple, alder, oak, hickory, etc.? Any BBQ joint would probably pay you for that. Those types of offers are to be found quite a bit up here so was just wondering :D

Sybil...I'll be in the same boat after today (stuck indoors) for a few days but will be a nice time for the serious spring cleaning and potting up pepper seedlings.

As for today, I've had the windows open since 8:30...in the 50's already :) After I digest this big farmers breakfast DH just fixed and served me (what a guy LOL)I'll be working on expanding that bed!

I have a feeling in another month everybody's weather is going to even out :)

Vera

Ok...so I didn't expand the bed today LOL!
I did get out there and direct sow my Buttercrunch Lettuce, Salad Bowl Lettuce and Scarlet White Tip Radishes then topped off with a fine layer of shredded straw :D

Vera

buzzylizzy,

You are getting snow showers tonight? WOW! We touched near 80 here yesterday. And it around the mid 50's today, so today is an inside day.

I am so glad that the chance of getting snow this season decreases with ever passing minute!

Cold and rain here, 40 degrees. Low tonight 31, tomorrow night 29. Mixed rain/snow...

Where did spring go? It was 75 degrees a few days ago.

Karen

Spring is like a day room in a nut ward LOL!!!! Not that I would know :O

Doris1...don't know how I missed your post earlier; maybe we were posting at the same time!
I would be livid...dang!! I'm still waiting for tulips to actually bloom 2 years running now, maybe this is the year. I can't say I've ever seen squirrels around here...that is kinda weird.

Vera - Wow, sounds like such a nice day! It's so nice to take a stroll and see what plants are coming out of hibernation. After seeing your blue flax pictures, I'm excited about my little flax seedlings.

It froze last night and will freeze again tonight, but should be nice by the middle of next week. Yea! I'm probably a big wimp, but I brought my WS tomatoes inside. I will put them back out tomorrow probably. Hopefully the transition from inside back outside won't kill them. I thought about transplanting them into cups, and putting the cups in a deep dish lasagna WS container, that way they'll maybe get a little more growth on them. I brought a couple herbs in that I already transplanted to pots that don't have covers. All the rest of the flowers, including annuals, I left to the elements. I imagine they'll be just fine.

Jan - All the branches from the ice storm are a pain. Probably over half of the houses in my town have big piles of branches in their front yard. The city hasn't decided whether they're going to pick up the branches yet. Our neighbors decided to stack up a bunch of theirs, but unfortunately probably half of them are in our yard. We're hoping it doesn't kill our grass, but I guess if that's my main complaint, that's not too bad.

Mo_girl,

I don't blame you, I've already planned to bring my tomatoes in too if they sprout early. I'm surprised they didn't come up this weekend!
I just heard the 5:30 am weather forecast....it was 55F earlier this morning and is dropping for a high of only 51. The next week looks like upper 40's and 50's, and the lows were supposed to be 33+ and that all changed again to between 29 and 33F.

Vera

It's still pretty chilly here in northwestern MI, supposed to warm up Thurs. but will be windy, I'll take it though!!
Vera, your nut ward comment was so funny! I thought I saw you there!!LOL!!I've got tulips,daffs,and hyachinths coming up out front. I've surrounded the front yard with used kitty litter to discourage trespassing! I didn't use it on the south side, and was invaded by voles! They ate all the bulbs there and most of the potted things I had!! Little @#^&%*&!
-B

Hi Vera,
I live in Galena, Ks., my home is about 7 miles from the Mo. line & about 20 miles from the Ok. line. I had a fire going in the front yard for about 7 hours yesterday,(so relaxing) the temps were in the 40's, Mugzie (the dog) curled up against it & slept all day, LOL. I managed to get the front yard & the north side of the house done, now on to the back. ") The temp got down to 25 last night. I covered up the jug babies this morning when I checked them part off the blanket was off but so far they seem ok. The strawberrys were warm & toasty under the straw & there were 2 deer in the pasture this morning ") Oh - we have wild cherry & plum, hickory, oak, maple. We use some of the hickory & fruit tree for cooking smoking & grilling. The temps are supposed to get warmer this week ")
Jan ")

Vera:I didn't plant the blue rug junipers, the landscaper who designed the beds did in 1975.
He introduced himself when we both volunteered in the Horticulture building at the fair a few years ago.
I counted to 10, then said to him " oh you don't want to talk to me,or shall I say if you do talk to me tonight you never will again!"
All those flippin yews he planted are gone too!

Green: Yup they called for snow, but we ended up with heavy frost. It was warm Saturday with 40 MPH winds, got a sun burn on my arm and neck. Last night I started the woodburner at 5pm and put the heater out on the sun porch where I have my eggplant, blue fescue and mater seedlings, didn't want my babies to cold out there. Like to keep them at 55 degrees lowest. Gosh it is time for second transplant for the maters already.

It was chilly last night. I put the heat on around 7 pm after the windows were open all day. It was nice and cool out there, but it was also a good opportunity to clean out the house of all the bad air. Just about dusk, it got really chilly, so the windows were closed up for the night (much to the cats dismay) and I turned the heat up for a bit. Supposed to be in the mid 70's and sunny here by Friday. Can't wait!

Oh nice busylizzy LOL!! You didn't like the Yews? What species were they? I don't mind the Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata' for vertical effect....but the 'Repandens' are another story; Eeeeeew! Let me guess that's what you pulled?

I wouldn't worry about the Blue Fescue....it is a cool season grass; mine were direct sown in April '04' and growth usually begins about early-mid April :D

Vera