Spring, Glorious Spring!

Finally finally finally! It's really springtime! It stayed cold and rainy right to the bitter end of March. The last big storm tore off the roof of the chicken pen, but we already had a replacement, so we got it put right back up.

In fact, Billy's birthday weekend, we called off the croquet game and gathered over here because it was so cold and nasty out. But then, about an hour into the gathering, the sun came out and we immediately went outside.

The usual suspects...

We got Billy a Sierra Nevada growler for his birthday.

And that was pretty much the end of the rainy weather... for now. Ricky C brought over some seed potatoes. He planted a bunch in his yard, and we got what was left.

Tater tots....

We started eating the first radishes.

Tuesday, I bought a new car. It's pretty sexy. Not a convertable, but it does have a moon roof.

Then by yesterday, it was hot! We're having one of those classic Chico springs where it's too wet to work until it's too hot to work. Proof: 92 degrees (well, with the sun shining on it).

Because the trees are just starting to leaf out, the sun was unshaded. So Catherine got creative and brought over a couple of unbrellas.

We tried to position the second table to maximize our shade. And, we could do that because Buddy and I finished mulching another section.

Bloom Times: March/April

I'd like to do a better job of keeping track of when things bloom, leaf out, and ripen. So here's a snapshot for mid-March to early April.

Finished blooming:

Apricot: Finished blooming, leafing out

Daffodils: Totally done.

Daphne: Totally done
Forsythia: Almost done blooming, leafing out.
Plums: Finished blooming, leafing out.

In bloom:
Cherry: Full bloom, leafing out.
Hyacinth: Blooming.

Iris: Blooming.
Lilac: Full bloom,

Violets: Full bloom.
My apple tree (at home): Just starting to bloom.


Leafing out
Grapes: Just starting to leaf out.
Peach: Leafing out.

Rose of Sharon: Just starting to leaf out.

Sycamore: Just starting to leaf out.

Misc.
Broccoli/Cabbage: Past harvest time and flowering.
Peas: 3-4 inches tall.
Grass: Reseeded areas coming up strongly now.
Summer starts: Strong, but still at baby leaf stage, with just a few main leaves beginning to show.

Mid March

In farm news... I planted more peppers back on 3-10: Big Jims and Anchos.

The earliest irises are blooming.

With some later ones getting ready to bloom.

The hard pruned plums are sending out new shoots.

And the lilac blooms are just starting to open up.

Here's a better shot of the cool sign Billy made:

Farm Grade FTW.

A huge flock of robins came in, and just took over the trees.

 The hawks were very excited.

What's Rick pointing at here? His shadow! The sun was out for a moment.

 He surveys the farmland.

Birthday Fun

 It's been raining pretty steadily over the last couple weeks, thus the dearth of posting. But on the 12th, some folks got together on the one dry afternoon. Apparently someone was a little older all the sudden. Laura and Bill came, bearing cake! Laura made a delicious cake to share.

We were so busy eating it that I forgot to get a pic before it was cut, but here you can see all the yummy layers.

Susy, Bill, and Rick enjoy the sunshine.

Noel, Lori, Jane, Keith.

Hmmm... Laura's talking and Billy's drinking beer... a rare pic!

Melinda, Keith, Jane, Lori, Titus, Buddy, Billy.

Bill forages for some broccoli.

They even strung a streamer on the bar. Notice the farm sign in the foreground.

By dark, only the diehards were left.

Spring Cleaning

Yesterday we got busy! Billy came over and hauled a load to recycling. We're cleaning out the old laundry room so we can get it hooked up to the new sewers, assuming they really do put in new sewers.

Watching Bill work got me inspired to do what I'd been threatening for a long time: clean out the shed. Well half the shed anyway. The other half holds the big tools, and is fine. But that old dresser had to go!

Buddy hauled out the other set of shelves, and we put it together. I dragged everything out of the shed. Omg what a mess! We'd stored the cornhole bags in there, and they are full of ... corn. Well they were. The rats had a fine time eating them and pooping everywhere! Soooooo much rat poo. Yuck! Anyway, once the shed was emptied, Buddy and I dragged the old dresser out and we put in the new shelves. It looks so neat!

Well not for long. But now all the things we need are handy and findable. And we aren't making habitat for rats.

Garden Snapshot: Early March

Spring is busting out all over. The plums have fully bloomed and are starting to leaf out. The weather is still unsettled, with sunny days interspersed with rainy ones. No snow since the last storm though! Rick and Buddy enjoy the glen.

The daffodils are so perky! The forsythia is starting to flower also.

All the new trees are doing well. The big mandarin makes a nice counterpoint in this bed.

The earliest irises are thinking about blooming.

This is the apricot branch on the big plum.

This is the peach. Turns out the variety we bought is the same variety from "Epitaph for a Peach."

The cherry tress is showing the very first blooms.

Whereas the plums and apricot have about finished blooming. The fallen blossoms look like snow on the daffodils.

The plum still shows some blossoms, but the leaves are starting to unfurl.

The lilac is leafing out also.

I planted some lettuce (rouge gren) and arugula between the rows of onions. The arugula is already sprouting.

I also started some more peppers:

And the grass seed that Buddy planted is coming up.