SNOW!

There's maybe an inch of snow on the ground. I don't want to go to work. Do you think I can call in with a bad hair day?



UPDATE: SNOW DAY!!!!!!!

Lost

Hiked again today, first a couple of miles on my own, birding, and then another few miles with Suze. I'd never been to the quarry in the wintertime, and decided to check it out for waterfowl. The usually empty gully you need to cross to get to the quarry has turned into a creek. One that's too wide to jump over. Dammit.

I found my way across with the help of a couple of stepping stones, though. The sun's angle highlighted the water and pine trees, and it made the red clay soil just brilliant. No birds, though. Ah well. I crossed back over the stream and almost fell backwards into the water. On my ass. Hiking back to the parking lot, I considered how well I'd be able to survive in the woods for a day or so with what I had on me if I broke an ankle.

Inventory of what I was carrying/wearing:
Binoculars
Sibley's guide
Grinch Hands
Cashmere hat #1
Cashmere hat #2
Bandanna
Tank top
Bra
Base layer
Cashmere sweater
Jeans
Underwear
Wool/cotton socks
Hooded waterproof shell
LED keychain
Lighter
Cell phone*

What I didn't have:
Water
Food

Even taking the phone out of the equation (cause that makes it way too easy), I was pretty happy with what I came up with.

Observations of note:
I could use the Sibley's guide and a lighter to start a fire (sad, but worth it). There's a lot of dead wood.
The LED keychain is a wondrous thing.
I'm glad I have warm head coverings.
Wettish leaves would be a good smoke creator.
I know the SOS morse code. I think. Smoke signals. Cool.
I'd drink stream water, risking contaminants.
There's wild ginger, so I could chew on the roots.
Can I catch a squirrel? I don't have a knife. I wonder if I could gut it with my hands. Would it skin easily? Maybe I could just burn the fur off?
I bet if I had to, I could break my binoculars to get to the lens.

Yah. It was a fun hike.

*Which I lost later. And then found again. Whew.

Wherz mah bukkit?

Argh. Drip Drip Drip woke me up. It could be a lot lot worse, but my bathroom ceiling has leaked a few times now. I'm guessing it's the roof?

Since I'm up, I think I'm gonna have some waffles.

Nom nom nom.

German Queen

Between the glare and the not-so-focusy focus here, you can't really make out the size of my monster tomato. 800 grams. 1.75 pounds. HUGE.

We've had almost six inches of rain in the past two weeks, and it really shows in the garden. I've been getting about a pint of Sungolds every day, and just recently I picked five eggplants. I have purple, red, yellow and (so far) green peppers, and the beans are finally coming along, though they haven't yet fruited.

Even with that rain, though, we're still in a moderate drought. I petitioned the rental agency to install gutters on my house, so that I can get a rain barrel (O Happy Day!). I hope they pull through. There's been some water damage in the house this year, which sounds to me like justification enough.

I found out that a business near my office has been hiding a mini-grove of peach trees. I picked one up off the ground this afternoon, and it was sweet, fragrant and juicy. Interestingly, the flesh was white. Hm.

Dinner time. Caprese again. Sigh. Isn't life rough?

Dribs and drabs.

Inhale....exhale. Cough, cough. It's like a campground out there, folks. Very weird.
Two days ago, a very satisfied customer* sent me flowers. A large vase full of Gerber daisies. It was thrilling beyond belief, and I paraded them around the office, glowing. I wrote her a brief thank-you-for-the-thank-you note, to which I got the response "Oh, and we're making a donation to your organization in your honor."

Wow. Feels good!

*I've decided to call the people who ask me to do community presentations "customers" because it makes me feel good.

********************

Today is Ols's due date. A little girl. I can't wait to see the little poppet. Her parents-to-be look SO different from one another it's hard to imagine how those genes will mix. I'm also jealous that she'll have Moxie to snuggle up to as well as Ols and Mr. Ols.

********************

I'm off to see my sweet Nem this afternoon, but I'm not sure what's going to become of our plans. We were going to go to the botanical gardens and then for some crazy popsicles, but this haze might cause some re-thinking.

********************

Recent transplants don't understand just how much ice has to go in sweet tea if it's not yet cool.

********************

Garden SOC: My tomato plants are overloaded with fruit, especially the Sungold. I love how the itsy tomatoes grow like grapes. I have 1/4 inch cukes. I'm not sure which types of squash I planted, but they're up and thriving. I planted corn, but I'm afraid for their stability. They don't have much topsoil, and what there is is very loose. I haven't planted enough beans, so I have to hop on that. I don't think I ever mentioned that I've companion planted a slew of marigolds in between all of my nightshades. Oh. I have peppers, believe it or not. They're small, but they're there! I think I have some fertilizing to do. The raspberries are almost done, and I have a new one to plant. Thanks, gardening neighbor! I chewed up some Long Leaf Plantain to use as a soothing poultice for my new mosquito bites. Next time I'm out on swampy trails, I'll remember to do the same with Jewelweed, which is one of my favorite plants already. Love the seed pods. And apparently the seeds themselves taste like walnut. Yum.

OK. Have a good weekend.

Squawk!

Did the CH bird count this morning. Well, half of it, anyway. I stopped when I realized that despite a liberal coating of SPF 30 I was quickly becoming a rotisserie chicken. So I boogied after about only 4 hours.

Birding was slow today, for migration season. Even though I accompanied quite elite birders, there just weren't many birds out. Nonetheless, I got a good look at a number of migrating warblers and sparrows.

Super Meh
White throated Sparrow
Cardinal
Carolina Wren
Eastern Towhee
Carolina Chickadee
Titmouse
American Crow
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Blue Jay

Slightly meh but first of the years
Indigo bunting
Red-eyed vireos (galore)
Blue Grosbeak
White-eyed vireo (nest!!)
Common Yellowthroat
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Catbird

Cool
Black and White Warbler
American Redstart
Yellow-breasted Chat

Very cool
Northern Parula (Great long look of it singing)

Possible Lifers (Lost my Sibley's and thus lost my life list)
Swamp Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Prairie Warbler (Fabulous song!)

There were a ton more seen but not heard, including Blackpoll Warblers. I've probably forgotten quite a few as well.

Swamp Sparrow photo courtesy of the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Blossom of the almond trees, April's gift to April's Bees. --Edwin Arnold

Containing, besides the large number of Astronomical Calculations and the Farmer's Calendar for ever month in the year; a variety of New, Useful, and Entertaining Matter.

This morning I plopped myself down outside, sweating in the typical places after mowing a too-wet lawn and caging my tomatoes, to read The Old Farmer's Almanac 2008, Southern Edition.

How many people still read these, I wonder? This one is No. CCXVI, and somehow still is authored by its founder from 1792, Robert B. Thompsom, according to the cover. He's even gone all internet savvy, this guy.

Today's sunrise was at 6:55 a.m., and sunset is to be at 8:17 p.m., he says. There's a sweet though bizarre verse that goes down the side of the table that lists dates, feasts, fasts, aspects and tide heights.

Friday, April 25: St. Mark• United Negro College Fund incorporated 1944•{5.8

Solar
then
doler;
must
this
month
be
so
bipolar?
Wondrously
warm,
followed
by
thunderousy
storms:
Boom!
Rain's
a-fallin',
streams
a-risin',
but
there's
hope
on
the
horizon.
Daffodils
garland
the
hills.

O Happy Day!

It's starting to rain, and I just heard thunder in the distance. The skies to the southwest are ominously dark, and I have the feeling we're about to get a good soaking.

I drove 200 miles this weekend, mostly while taking part in the CFSA Piedmont Farm Tour. It seems kind of wrong to be driving that much during Earth Day weekend, but the price-per-car made for a lot of carpooling. At least there's that.

Yesterday I volunteered at Braeburn/Cane Creek farm(s).

Ooooh. Wait. It just got really dark and windy. Maybe this is the first thunderstorm! Oh, my, it's battering the maple tree something fierce, and the wind gusts are making the huge drops fall at about a 60º angle. Yup. Thunder.

Ok, back to the story at hand (but it's soooooo awesome to

OMG HAIL!

Wow. The hail is pea-sized and my unplanted tomatoes are flying across the deck. Hm. Maybe I'd better bring in at least the Cherokee Purple seedling (!!!) I picked up at one of the farms today (only $2.50!). Hail seems to be over.

Sorry about that tangent. Anyhoo.... It's great to see some rain, and I'm glad I decided to come home this afternoon after only visiting four farms.

Yesterday, volunteering. Today, touring. Fab weekend, seriously.

Oops the hail is back!! Hang on while I watch it.

FUCK that was close. Jesus. Big thunder.

The hail is now just lemon-seed sized.

Damn, I can't seem to get my attention off of the rain. Maybe I'll write more about this weekend and how great it was after the storm is over.


EDIT: The temperature dropped 10 degrees outside in 2 minutes.
EDIT #2: According to weather underground, the temp actually dropped over 20 degrees in a nearby neighborhood. It was in the mid 70s, but now feels like it's about 50. Of course I don't have a thermometer or anything, so it's hard to tell.