Break Out the Shorts, At Least for a Few Days

The farther north one goes, the more the year is regulated by the changing seasons.  In northern college towns, this phenomena takes on an amusing predictability.  You have dinner downtown one Saturday night and the pavement markings are worn and faint, you drive through town at eight o'clock a.m. the next morning and cones mark the freshly laid paint.  It's that time of year again:  two back-to-back days of warm dry weather that fall sometime between the first of April (last day for snow tires) and mid-May (graduation).   


We spent some time at my friend Kate's farm on Sunday.  The highlight was playing shepherd to the baby lamb that couldn't figure out how to get through the gate and was separated from his mother for an hour or so.  The poor ewe was wondering around bleating ridiculously loud.  I carried her lamb back and she shot me a dirty look, like "what have you been doing with my baby!"  I laughed and said "I'm not the one who left my baby by the gate!"  The other highlight was picking daffodils from an old homestead site.  We're going to go back later and dig up the bulbs--they are this wonderfully ruffled yellow daffodil that I've not seen before.  The bulbs must be 80-100 years old!


Alas, I have no farm pictures to include, but I did do a lot of work in my gardens so I'll post these instead!

Getting organized!

My gnome is lonely since his friend was killed by an errant soccer ball!

I will think of something for this spot...

Pretty hyacinths!

Lupins be gone!  (They are now a backboard to the soccer goal!)

Sideyard Sidewalk

We've had a bit of a home improvement project in progress the past couple of weeks.  The north side of our house had a path of poorly placed concrete pavers for access to the backyard.  In the spring, this area turned into, (in the words of Luke Skywalker), a bit of a slimy mudhole.


So my intrepid husband sought to remedy this situation.  He's been very busy with the project the last two weekends, and I've been very busy trying to keep our son out of his way!


First, he had to dig out and level the area.

Next, he used 4x6 timbers to frame the walk, and created a base layer of gravel.

He then laid ground cover cloth and placed sand over the gravel.

 

Finally, the pavers went in again, but this time they were fit snuggly and sand was placed in between the individual pavers.

 How awesome is that?!?  Now to rest and get back to knitting!!

Coming Home--Boise to Moscow, Early Spring

I did something rather dumb this week.  I was on travel for work, and I decided that since the flight schedule wasn't compatible with my meetings, I would drive.  

It was a disaster.

It snowed from Moscow to the Boise foothills.  It would have been really beautiful--if I was sitting by a fireside drinking hot chocolate looking out a window.  Which I was not.

I guess it wasn't entirely a disaster.  I didn't crash or otherwise injure myself.  I also didn't hit end up with a hawk or any other wildlife embedded headfirst in my grill (apparently this has happened to someone else).  I did get lost, I did run late.  I was, in fact, late to my own talk.  But, it is kind of hard core to drive seven hours in the snow, walk into a room, plug in a flash drive, and start talking!  So there!

The drive home was lovely.  It did eventually snow--there was a little black snowcloud hovering right over Genesee, causing two run-off-the-road single vehicle embarrassing sort of accidents.  Fortunately, I was not one of them. 

Here are some of the highlights of my drive--home, that is!

Boise foothills

Payette River

Yes, this is a main north-south road in Idaho!

Payette Lake, McCall

Snowline on the buttes

Just south of Riggins

I like elk, buffalo, and gyros, I've just never thought about them in the same sentence before!

Gotta love a north-south time zone change.

Salmon River

Another view of the Salmon

Near the top of Whitebird grade

Well, it could be worse.  This is the old road!

Camas Prairie

Random Spring Musings

I feel like I always begin my posts with the weather report, so why should this be any different?

Yesterday--snow!  April Fool's!

Today, mild!  My transplanted rhubarb are happy!

I planted the first of the salad greens today!

Duck!!