Spring is Sprung!

30 degrees at 12:22 PM on the FIRST DAY of SPRING. 

What's wrong with that picture? 

We are expecting possible snow tonight, and for sure, tomorrow night into Friday morning. 

11 years ago tomorrow, at the old Calamity Acres, I called in because I could not get out of my 100 foot long upward-sloping driveway.  I literally spent the day shoveling snow... but at mid-day, heard a sound from high above me.  I looked up... and thousands of Canadian geese were flying south over my head.  It was a sight I have never forgotten, and never will.  I stood, leaning on my shovel handle, marveling at them. The sight of geese flying makes my blood sing. 

Here's what we were up to here this morning: 

I turn on the lights over the plants as soon as I get up in the morning. 

Look at those tomatoes!  I had to take the cover off, they were pressing it so hard in some places. 

Every single morning, Our Protector jumps up to get a cuddle and a rub on her furry belly.  She is such a beautiful dog. 

Keith had a cuddle with his little girl just before he left for work.  She adores him. 

Then, it was out to the garden. 

This is one of last year's beds.  The dirt in it was okay, and if you read us then, you know that this was a lasagna bed, with several levels of peat moss, straw, with paper on the bottom.  It was never quite full enough, and in the ensuing summer, we pretty much gave up on the garden.  I was still working, and worried about my flower beds, and the veggies went to rack and ruin.  Not this year! 

With straw (plain straw, not chicken-house straw), and manure. 

With three bags of Miracle Gro dirt on it.  Keith went to get me twelve bags last night, and Home Depot had Miracle Gro on sale for 3.33 a bag.  I'm going to go get some money from savings and get another 20 bags.  

I switched to our bigger yard cart today, because it balances better.  Now that I'm 62, I have to make work-arounds to get things done while Keith is at work.  He unloaded three bags for me last night, and a bag of peat moss... but left the rest on the truck. 

I can't jump up on the truck anymore, I'm just not agile enough.  

Like my work-around?  

I climbed up carefully, threw the bags 3 at a time in the big yard cart carefully, climbed down, and trundled them across the yard to the garden. 

Yes, I had to lift them one by one, but I got them there.  

Two nights ago, he stacked five by the garden bed I was working last week.  I'm going to haul them over to the vegetable beds this afternoon.  

The Range was supervising from a shady spot. 

Here is the hollow trunk of our century old walnut three, half of which was dead last year. 

Big branches and bark are falling from it frequently.  The walnuts leaf out last in the spring. 

Keith received an estimate, recently, of $4000.00 to take the tree down, and we are not sure what to do, we never imagined it to be so expensive.  

I'm putting the smaller branches with the compost, for my tiny try at hugelkultur.  

That's it for today from Calamity Acres!