Snowy February

Seventeen days into the month, and we’ve moved about 2′ of snow so far. The snow banks are almost up to the windows of the shed and barn.

In between, there has been just enough melting to have seen some of the biggest icicles ever, and turning areas into icy patches several inches thick. Part of the driveway looks like the header shot.

We are definitely having a ‘regular’ New England winter. The winter sports enthusiasts are loving it. ⛷️⛸️

No snow post would be complete without repeating that my little Toro Power Clear works great. It’s a small, simple little machine, but I love it and the ability to get ready, prime it, plug it in, press start, and it’s ready to go. There is no cord pulling although it does have a cord just in case.

A friend and I went to a workshop sponsored by the Portsmouth Garden Club and Pollinator Pathways NH last week, and it was fun to talk gardening and come home with native plant seeds. This week there is a pruning class.

Although, outside everything is buried under piles of snow, I have been enjoying the Amaryllis and now the Walking Iris which has produced fifteen blooms so far. My two orchids are also budded.

I also have tomatoes growing. I know, I know, it is way too early for tomato seedlings, but I read an article on growing determinant Red Robin cherry tomatoes indoors so I thought I’d give it a try.

I started the seeds in a seed snail instead of a tray. It takes up much less space, and they develop wonderful roots for transplanting. I have not been using grow lights but just moving them into sunny windows when available and putting them under a sewing light in the evenings. Yes, unconventional, but the light seems to work, and it gives me something to do in between storms. 🙂

I’ve gone through a lot of books, and these are some of the better ones: Robert B. Parker’s “Buried Secrets,” James Patterson’s, “Paranoia,” Michael Connelly’s, “The Waiting,” Jonathan Kellerman’s, “Open Season” and “The Lost Coast.”

The temperature is not going above the mid 20’s today, the winds are high, and there’s no reason to go out so I’m not. The last of the snow can wait, and I’ll enjoy the beautiful sunshine streaming in the windows and find some sewing to keep me busy.

Hope February is treating you well, and you’re keeping busy while enjoying a few smiles. I think I’ll bake something this morning that I can share with family because that always makes me smile. 🙂

Snow and Ice

About 5″ of snow fell last week and had to be moved. It was light so the snow blower handled it just fine. Yesterday morning, we saw a herd of about eight deer come running across the road and moving between our fence and the neighbor. I’m grateful I had my temporary winter fence up so they didn’t stop for a snack in the garden.

On Friday, a friend and I went to an exhibit at the Kittery Maine Art Association highlighting Nancy Morgan and her amazing fiber art. A photo doesn’t do the work justice because they are behind glass so here is a link to her Facebook page where you can admire her unbelievable skill working with fabric to create landscapes

It has been really cold for the past couple of weeks as in below zero for a few days. One benefit of that is the Alton Bay NH ice runway is open this year. After two warm winters, there is a lot of excitement about the runway being open.

We drove up there Saturday morning which is only about a half hour north. The lake was teeming with people having a great time watching the planes land and take off on the ice. Surrounding the runway are the bobhouses so it’s a busy place with people and vehicles making their way onto the ice. It is always interesting to put on my Yaktrax and walk onto the lake with the planes while there is open water on the edges.

According to their Facebook post, 164 planes landed and took off on Saturday which was a record with one pilot coming in from San Antonio. Alton Bay is the only ice runway in the lower 48 states.

What can I say, it’s winter in New England, and residents and tourists are loving it.

Hope you have had a good January and are enjoying your hobbies and passions. I’ve been enjoying my Walking Iris and Amaryllis that are blooming, sewing, walking on the treadmill, and I just finished Michael Connelly’s ‘The Waiting.’

Happy last week of January.

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Happy 2025

The holidays are over, and the New Year started with a bang – two of them as a matter of fact.

On New Year’s Eve, I was in the driveway and hit a patch of ice and found myself laid out on the asphalt. The temperature was in the high 40’s so I didn’t even think of there being ice around the edges. I was able to walk away and with some Aleve and Voltarin, I’m on the mend. I just don’t bounce like I use to. 🙂

Late on New Year’s Day, the family was called by a neighbor to the front yard to see a huge downed branch from a very large Horse Chestnut tree which had fallen in the road and was blocking traffic. Out came the Ryobi and Craftsman battery chainsaws as we worked to get it out of the road. We got the road cleared, but it was still very close to the road so my trusty truck pulled it in a ways. It needs to dry out before we can cut it up so I cleaned the saws, and they are ready for a future work day.

Speaking of my truck, we live in a somewhat rural area, and it is parked outside year round. A couple of weeks ago, the dashboard lit up with every light and the steering wouldn’t work. After towing it to a local service center, they told me that a small rodent of some type had eaten through my serpentine belt. After a nice $$$ invoice and replacement, it runs fine now. However, at their suggestion, I have added some rodent deterrent to the engine compartment. I actually had some on hand because I use it in my garden shed.

When the weather changes, various tires around here need some air added. For several years, I’ve had a Stanley Automotive Jump Starter and Air Compressor, and it worked great until it didn’t. I did some research and decided to try a Dewalt Jump Starter with Compressor which had higher ratings. It keeps a charge and works great. Around our area, if you need to add air to a tire, it is hard to find one that is working correctly or working at all. We’ve found out with multiple vehicles and machines, it is handy to have one of these available.

I was planning to do some winter caulking and decided to buy a Craftsman Caulk Gun. I was hopeful it would be easier to apply this silicone caulk. It was not. The way the machine works, when you press the button it has to reapply pressure to the caulk tube every single time so you end up holding the gun for a while each time before it will actually disperse the caulk. It weighs about 5 lbs., is very cumbersome, and way too labor intensive and annoying so I returned it.

Our local library is closing this Friday for a year while they remodel and complete an addition. There will be a temporary site where we can pick up books put on hold. It won’t be the same, but at least we still have access so I can feed my book addiction.

Did you make any resolutions for the new year? I did some major purging of stuff and have hit the treadmill all six days. We’ll see if I can keep that streak up. 🙂

Hope 2025 is starting off well for you and yours, you have a good book handy, your trees are upright, and all your tools and vehicles are working well.

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Holiday Greetings

Happy Holidays to you and may 2025 prove to be a happy and healthy new year.

There is no snow on the ground this year, as a matter of fact some grass is still green. That could be because the temperatures fluctuate all over the board with one day this week at 55℉ while the weekend will find us at a low of 5℉ with possible flurries.

Do you have company coming for the holidays? Making something special to eat with family or friends? Got resolutions for the new year? It’s a busy time both mentally and physically.

Our family is local so no traveling required, and we’re not very picky about holiday eats as long as there is plenty of dessert. For the new year, one of my goals is to do a little more organizing and donate what we don’t wear or use.

We are not heading to Myrtle Beach this year. As with every chapter in life, there’s a start and a finish based upon a lot of factors. Snowbirding is a wonderful, fun thing to do, but at a certain age it becomes more realistic to stay close to home. This is the year to embrace that. It’s also the year, I’ve just ordered some Dwarf Red Robin Tomato seeds to see if I can grow tomatoes indoors. I’ll keep you posted.

If you find yourself in Charlottesville, VA, like we did last weekend be sure to drive around the University of Virginia.

It is a beautiful campus. We checked out the Library, Rotunda, Chapel, and the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers.

I took photos of the Memorial, but because it is in a circle I could not capture the entire thing without losing the importance of each section. The right section is arranged by year, and the left section by name or profession. It is a moving tribute.

We also visited Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello garden last weekend and was surprised at how many plants were still growing. The gift shop always has plants for sale, and two blueberry plants just happened to find their way home in the car. I double potted them, stuffed the space between pots with leaves, and packed them in more leaves to hopefully keep them going until spring planting.

My Amaryllis is blooming, but I need to offer a little explanation. Last year, I held over my bulbs by planting them outside in the summer, bringing them in for a couple of months of dormancy, and then replanting. That process proved to be about 50% successful so far but with only green leaves and no blooms.

The one blooming here a new bulb I bought this year. Bulbs at box stores like Home Depot run about $6.98 each while at our local greenhouse they are $29.98 each. After this experience, I’ll just buy new $6.98 bulbs each year, enjoy them during the holiday season, and toss them when I’m done.

I’ve read some good mysteries lately including David Baldacci’s To Die For and Robert B. Parker’s Hot Property. If you enjoy snark, Spenser provides a good dose. I also read three books by an author new to me, Bruce Borgos. Holding Fire, The Bitter Past, and Shades of Mercy were all good reads. When I received notice that Craig Johnson’s latest Longmire book, Tooth and Claw, was ready for pickup I headed right over to the library. It was a flash back story, and the main character was a demented polar bear eating everyone within reach. I did not enjoy that book and was glad I hadn’t paid money for it.

Whether you’re curled up with a good book, watching a movie, or relishing a house full of noisy and hungry guests next week, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

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November

I’m not sure how we got to November so quickly, and in reality, the month is half over. In the US, we honored our Veterans yesterday, we’ll sit down to Thanksgiving dinner in two weeks to celebrate family and friends, and holiday preparations will be well on their way.

I’ve been busy for several weeks moving leaves, lots and lots of leaves. I use those large collapsible garden bags and last week alone we moved 20 bags off two areas. We have almost four acres with mature oak and maple trees, and our closest neighbor has a half a dozen mature oaks that fall into our yard. The younger generations usually do a YouTube worthy job using the zero turn mower to blow the leaves, but that mower decided not to run. We brought out the battery blower, and the Ryobi battery mower, and we got it done. I either bought the absolute best Ryobi battery mower they produced that year, or this thing is just a hard working little machine. We love it, it starts every time, and when the big mower decides to be finicky, it comes out and works above its means.

I’m also sorting seeds. The lupines and mexican sunflowers are done and only the zinnias are left. Collecting seeds is kind of fun to think they will provide an opportunity for 2024 plants to again produce in 2025.

Our weather has been bizarre. We had several days this month that were in the mid to high 70’s. I have blueberry plants that have blossoms. I’m not sure what this extended warm weather will do to the trees, shrubs, and plants that are usually dormant by now. I guess spring will answer that question. We are also experiencing a drought which is never good but especially not good going into winter.

The quilt top I was working on is finished and gifted. Even straight quilting a quilt with batting and minky backing on a regular sewing machine is a huge challenge. It’s just too thick for a small sewing machine. I’m moving on to some small Christmas projects which will be a lot easier to work on.

I’m looking around at local garden clubs to see if one looks interesting and sponsors some educational programs. Our MG group is not as active as it use to be, and I like talking and learning from other gardeners especially during winter months.

You’ve got to love WordPress and all their changes. If I add a caption to the photos, the bottom half of each photo becomes blurred. So, here is the last rose in the garden, finished quilt top, North Church and ‘Be Kind’ Small Library in Portsmouth, and our local Downeaster Train Station decked in red.

I read two mysteries by an author I was not familiar with, Bruce Borgos’, “The Bitter Past” and “Shades of Mercy.” The main character, Sheriff Porter Beck, reminds me quite a bit of the Walt Longmire character from Craig Johnson. Good reads.

As we head to a new year, I’m trying to decide if I’ll continue blogging. I think I’ve run out of steam after thirteen years, and my October post was reblogged on three sites that I had no connection to and was basically offended by. Yes, they gave me credit, but I did not want it on those particular sites. I asked that it be taken off, but only one responded. I’m still thinking, but so many bloggers that I enjoy have stopped blogging a lot of the fun is gone. I’m feeling the desire to pull the plug.

Sending you all best wishes for November including good health, family get togethers, outings with friends, and the opportunity to remember all the things we have to be thankful for including those who have stopped here to read and comment.

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Hello October

The leaves are turning, and our White Mountains are beautiful. We took a trip north with a good friend, and we had ourselves quite a day. The colors were not at peak but beautiful anyway. We stopped to see mutual friends about halfway back, and the apple pie and conversation were great. It’s always good to have a friend who bakes great pies. 🙂

Stone wall in Landaff, NH

Scenery around Woodstock, NH

Mountain view from Landaff

Bath, NH, 1832 Covered Bridge

Fly fisherman in the Ammonoosuc left of the bridge

Here in the garden, I’ve been cutting back perennials so they are set for the winter. There is controversy on cutting back in the fall or the spring, and I think each gardener has to make the decision based upon their weather. Our plants sit under snow, and if they are not cut back, they are a soggy mess in the spring. I’ll be picking up a bulb order in two weeks and will get them planted up in containers and store in the barn until spring.

I’ve been trying to grow grass in two areas with two different types of seed. The sun/shade mix has done pretty good, but the Low Grow / No Mow is struggling. Growing grass requires consistent watering, and both areas are outside the reach of my hose so it becomes a major issue to get water out there. I’m grateful for the rain today.

I’ve done some asphalt patching as a result of our outside work done last year. I used Henry driveway asphalt patch this time because it came in an 11 lb. container and was easy to handle. It worked fine, but it doesn’t go very far. I used Aquaphalt a few years ago, but it only comes in 50 lb. containers, and I’ve aged out of picking up 50 lbs. They both do the job filling a depression.

As my outside activities come to a close, I am thinking about sewing which right now involves straight line quilting on a quilt top. I’ll be praying for patience as my machine was not made for quilting, but it will certainly keep me occupied for a while.

We got the flu shot, Covid is on the schedule for this week, and tomorrow we attend the AARP driver safety course. We have done this before, and we get a discount if we have to use our deductible. Plus, it never hurts to be reminded how to be a safe driver on our fast paced highways.

I just finished Connelly’s “Dark Sacred Night,” I’m reading Kellerman’s “The Lost Coast,” and I’ve got a Brad Thor book to pick up today. I’ve been watching the Perfect Couple on Netflix. It’s has an interesting cast with some twists and turns. I’m not a big Nicole Kidman fan, but I like Liev Schreiber. I’ve watched three episodes, and it’s pretty good.

Happy October, have fun and stay well.

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Fall

I’m pretty sure Fall has arrived in New England. When I made coffee this morning, the temperature was 46, a few maples have started to turn, and leaves are falling. The experts are saying this is going to be the best year for fall color.

I’ve been moving and dividing plants, composting spent annuals, trying to grow some grass (emphasis on trying), and working on my fall to-do-list. When I clean out the raised beds, I use that space to hold plants to donate to the spring MG plant sale. So far, they’re holding lilacs, wisteria, and native Maine blueberry plants.

There are always successes and failures in gardening, and I want to tell you I failed miserably trying to air graft two trees. I will try again. Gathering Lupine seed pods in tulle bags worked well so I have plenty of seeds to share if anyone wants any.

I use a lot of perennials in containers because I like them, they aren’t as needy as annuals, and I can reuse them each year. At the suggestion of Kerry Ann Mendez, a well known Maine gardener, I bought four dwarf shrubs for growing in containers. I would highly recommend Hydrangea Let’s Dance ‘Sky View’ and Azalea Red Perfecto Mundo, but I would not buy Weigela ‘My Monet Purple Effect’ again as it was a very poor performer. I’m not sure it will be around come spring. The Hydrangea filled out the container, bloomed all summer and still has a couple of blooms. If you are looking for a container plant to provide all summer interest, this Hydrangea is a good one, and it is suppose to survive the winter in the container.

The swartzenberries are still hanging on so I’m still picking, but the plants do not like cold weather and are shutting down. We’ve enjoyed one pie and have five pounds frozen which means more pie in our future which is always a good thing.

I’m reading Jeffrey Deaver’s “Fatal Intrusion,” but it’s not a real page turner. We did enjoy the first episode of Slow Horses last night. We’ve also watched The Union, The Instigators, and the first Horizon. The Union was pretty good, The Instigators was okay, and the first Horizon although a good story if you like that era seemed to bounce around.

If you’ve read or watched something good by all means share. Have you had anything ‘pumpkin spice’ yet or are you not a fan of fall flavors? Have a great week.

Surfacing

For the past 17 days, I’ve read about European travels, delicious recipes, home renovation projects, photography, woodworking, finishing novels, and what have I been doing? Not much, maybe watching the Olympics a couple of hours a day or reading in my recliner.

After four years of avoiding it, Covid came calling. I learned a lot of things including I hope to never have to wear a mask 24/7 for 17 days until I test negative ever again, but you got to do what you got to do.

I had the usual symptoms, fever, chills, coughing, sneezing, wicked sore throat like I’d never had before, hearing challenges, and some dreaded stomach issues.

I was prescribed Paxlovid because of being a senior and family members with compromised immune systems. By the third day, the symptoms had gone away. That definitely was a positive. What wasn’t a positive though was that about two days after I finished Paxlovid, the symptoms resurfaced, and the Covid clock seemed to start over. Would I take it again? I’m not sure. I know it keeps people out of the hospital, but I wonder if with all the vaccines and boosters I’ve gotten is a hospital stay still an issue. I don’t know, but 17 days was a long stretch waiting to test negative.

There is a summer Covid surge right now. If interested, you can google and read stats and suggestions from your favorite source.

Looking outside, the daylilies are just about done for the season. They provide so much color, that the slate is kind of green when they’re done except for the hydrangeas and the brown eyed susans.

We had some wicked hot and humid weather during this time, so I probably wouldn’t have gotten much done outside. I am glad that now the weather has cooled down a lot so I can get back on track with weeding and outdoor projects as soon as the rain from Debby passes by.

I did a lot of reading while I was inside, and one of the better books was Marc Cameron’s “Bad River.” Sending you best wishes for August, stay healthy, and have some Covid tests on hand just in case. 🙂

Flowers everywhere

It’s hot and humid here. The temperatures have been in the mid 90’s with real feel of 100+ for over 13 days with this week forecasting more of the same. I’ve never been to a swamp, but this is what I imagine it would feel like. 🥵

Despite the heat, the Hydrangeas are really putting on a show. I’ve never seen so many blooms. The experts say it is because of so much rain last summer and a mild winter.

The Annabelle Hydrangea in the lower right is 8″ across.

The Daylilies are also blooming. They don’t last long, but they certainly are beautiful while they are here.

Tomatoes, raspberries, and blueberries are all available for picking which I do first thing before the heat gets to me.

We’ve also had a lot of wildlife visitors including deer, fox, turkeys, groundhogs plural, and the usual chipmunks and squirrels. They’ve wiped out some of the vegetables and eaten the top off of a healthy blueberry plant. We’ve also had our share of insects eating leaves, but the top destroyer so far this year in the insect category is the dogwood sawfly. They devoured the leaves on a healthy Arctic Fire Red Twig Dogwood. I won’t show you photos because I like you too much. 🙂

The weather is suppose to go back into the 80’s next weekend so a friend and I are planning to attend a garden tour in a neighboring town. It will be our second garden tour of the season. It is always fun to view someone else’s gardening adventures.

Hope you are all well and having more moderate weather. How are your gardening efforts going this summer? Hanging baskets and containers are sure drying out quickly here. Enjoy July, and be assured we’ll be running the air conditioning and the ceiling fans for the foreseeable future. 🙂

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Mid June Greetings

I hope all the fathers and all those who step in and support and cheer on kids of all ages had a great Father’s Day.

We had a family dinner with fun conversation, good food, and an absolutely delicious dessert. Our daughter made biscuits that were Julia Child worthy, and we enjoyed every single bite.

We’re harvesting strawberries right now and awaiting the blueberries and raspberries. Fresh fruit is a really good thing, but a daughter who can make these melt in your mouth biscuits gets the family culinary award.

We’ve had a beautiful stretch of weather. The windows are open, a nice breeze is blowing through, and there is good sleeping at night. As they say, all good things come to an end. A stretch of heat is rolling in tomorrow for the rest of the week with highs in the 90’s and ‘feel like’ temps of over 100. We’re forecasted to be hotter than any year back to 1919.

We’ve finished several outdoor projects and have a couple more still in play, but they will be put on hold and minimal work will be done outside except for watering. Containers dry out quickly in this type of heat so I’ll move some around today to get them in the shade. The ones planted with perennials will survive much better than the annuals.

A couple of sections of raspberries developed orange rust, which resulted in digging them out and disposing of them.

The rest of that row looks okay so we’re hoping we got them out of there in time before the rest were affected.

There is another row of raspberries in a different area, and it is absolutely covered in green berries so we will have plenty to eat and freeze.

Besides gardening projects and maintenance, I tried some air layering propagation to see if I could clone a couple of trees. I won’t know whether it works for another 6-8 weeks. 🤞

Heading out to move things to the shade, water sod we just put down, and get ready for the heat. Here’s hoping your temperatures are more moderate and you’re enjoying your deck or patio with a nice beverage and a good book. Speaking of books, Harlan Coben’s “Think Twice” is a good read if you like mysteries.

Have a great week and here’s a few shots from the garden just for you. 😎

Festiva Maxima Peony

Let’s Dance dwarf Hydrangea

Pink Peony

Climbing Blaze rose buch

Hydrangea loaded with buds

Penstemon Blackbeard

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