Hoppy Easter

We might get rain or snow flurries tonight so we had an instant Easter egg hunt just now. The winds are fierce and blowing so rather than hang my wonderful (Thank you, Gillian) eggs in the apple tree I placed them gently in the daffodils. The garden is awash in yellow, even the Ribes are blooming. It will be an early spring for sure. We need rain again, we aren't in a drought yet but perilously close.

I discovered another sign that nature never wastes anything. We had cut a low hanging branch off the maple tree and the sap was dripping onto the flagstone below, a large wonderful circle of heaven for the ants.  We are the proud (?) caretakers of about a million tiny ants and they swarmed all over this manna from above. See below.....

If you'd like something to count, double click on the photo and have at it! The following day all of the original sap was gone. When the sap ran again a couple of days later, they were back and cleaned up that batch as well.  Just as the coyotes keep the rabbits in check and the snakes the mice, the ants keep the sap from being a sticky mess.

I have ordered poor orphan snakes from the local snake catcher so that we can put the balance back in our yard. Some of my citified neighbors kill the wonderful creatures and wonder why they are over run by mice and pack rats! Hello? They also feed their dogs outside! Not a good idea. We had 4 coyote kills the other night. Don't know what they got but the ravens were having a ball the next morning with the leftovers!

I got the garden cleaned up last week, the garlic is up 6 inches and happy and green. Time to plant!
Yes!

Happy Spring!

The view from my perch yesterday afternoon.....I should  move it to see more of the garden but the tree blocks the sun from my eyes, it won't be long and I'll move the chair to the alcove in the herb garden.

I mangled my knee weeding last week and so there is still an enormous amount of work to do. We are having wonderful, but dry weather. Thus I spend a fair amount of time watering the seeds and garlic.

We have a huge towhee community and their favorite thing is to dig up newly seeded areas. I found the solution to keeping them at bay. Coffee grounds! We have exceedingly alkaline soil so this might not work in more acid soil areas but it sure keeps the birds and cats out. Plus, and a big plus, it helps to neutralize our soil. I think if you enlarge this photo you'll be able to see the garlic leaping up!

AH, warmth and growth

We are a couple of weeks early in the flower department here at Casa Manana due to a warm winter and global warming. This is the bowl of pansies that has resided on the portal all winter, left over from last year's spring planting.

I adore this color, it speaks to me every time I look into the cute little faces and just makes me so happy.

Another favorite are these miniature daffodils. Every year when the markets carry spring flowers I buy one or two pots of these little darlings and enjoy them on the dining table and then plant them outside when possible. A goodly fertilizing and fresh soil and they reward us with blooms for weeks the following spring.

I have been working in the garden almost every day for a week and a half, cleaning up and cutting back. I pruned the apple tree yesterday but still have more work to do on it if I am to "be able to throw a cat through it," as the old saw states. Sounds mean to me, but I understand the need for space and air. It is hard with a five apple grafted tree, however, I'll try to get it in shape.

The garlic is up about 4 inches and looking very healthy. We are still enjoying some of last year's plants and I'm tempted to try a spring planting of the ones that have formed green center shoots. I'll
let you know. I was talking to a local nurseryman the other day and got the wildest story on how to grow garlic I've every heard. If you don't know the answer, wing it must be his motto. I just laughed.