Spring Cleaning

 

The few spring like days that we have had so far have mostly been allocated to spring cleaning on the deck.  It’s surprising to see just how much dirt, and mess a winter of rain can make.  And it’s finally time to do some pruning, tidying up, and some repotting.

Repotting perennials is a little like being popular, everyone wanting you to dance with them.  Take one plant out of it’s pot, another is shouting out, I’m squished in here, help me out. Let’s do the shimmy.

And you always seem to end up with more plants then pots, along with someone sitting out the dance.

Then it’s time to make the hard decision to give the plant away to a gardener with a bigger garden, or try to quickly find another large pot.

So many times I have had to temporarily resort to black plastic bags as a home until the perfect pot shows up, or the next plant in the line up decides to move on.

When a perennial doesn’t make it through the winter, [and many didn’t in the last few years] we hold a very quick funeral, digging through the soggy mess to determine if I have actually saved the tag, and can identify it.  There is a moment of sadness, and then it’s off to the compost pile.

Unhappy plant, happy worms. 

And this way there is always room for another.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

An unresponsive spring

 

Flown the coop:

We’ve flown the coop, well actually we did fly the coop, and now we are back.  And yes I did see some chickens, but I don’t have any photos.  I also saw lots of cows, some eagles. And a poor deer that didn’t survive it’s quick dash across the road.

It was a fast trip up to the Okanagan to visit with family, and check out the luscious asparagus from my sister’s farm, her blog is here, Okanagan Asparagus Farm.  But it was too cold for those tender, and delicious little spears to peek up from the soil yet. We never seem to get it right, always too early, or too late...

A time lapse:

Coming back down from the high mountain pass, through to the Chilliwack valley, was like seeing a very fast time lapse of spring happening right before your eyes. During the time that it took to travel from the highest point of the Coquihalla Hwy to White Rock, we saw the branches changing subtly. From bare black stems silhouetted against the blue sky, to fresh green shoots hanging like earrings from trees, and dense green undergrowth that is missing in the Okanagan.

It was both alarming, and beautiful at the same time.

Beautiful, because spring is definitely coming, although it’s late, and alarming because I was worried that I would miss it in my garden. Like any gardener, I wait all year for those moments, when the ferns unfurl, and the hosta’s stretch out their leaves to grow.

Late spring/cold spring:

But there is no chance of that happening soon.  The funny thing is, although our leaves are usually out much earlier, it was greener and lusher out towards the bottom of the mountain ranges at the base of the Coquihalla hiway, a  two hour drive from the ocean, then it was here.

As we progressed towards White Rock, spring seems to have rewound it’s self back a few days.  Gone are the green spears of grass growing, branches still bare, with only the smallest touches of green tips.  Unlike the golden masses of cottonwood trees on the Hi-way, that graced the river bed. Clouds of golden new leaves etched on the banks of the churning river.

No real change:

When we got home,  nothing had changed, spring has not come to wave a magic wand, the trees are still unresponsive.  The hosta’s undisturbed in their sleeping dirt, only a smidge higher, the beautiful gingko tree on my patio, just barely tufted with green promise. I didn’t miss the change over after all.

So I wonder, if it were not so far, would I decide to go back to that golden river banking, and fly among the cottonwoods shimmering leaves. Or would I choose to wait here patiently for spring to arrive, and not take the chance of missing anything?

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

 

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Overeaters, not so anonymously

 

 

Good morning Bootsie:

He twines around my feet as I open the closet door, as if he is a morning glory vine, and I am the sun.

His meows are pitiful, sad, with “woe is me” twinges echoing through the hall. It’s a good thing that cats are no longer illegal in this condo, or we would be in trouble.  His meows are loud, and lush, full throated warbling's better suited to a bird calling it’s mate.

But no birds are involved it’s just that someone opened the “magic door,” the door to the closet, that the Boo wishes he had the ability to open himself.

It’s where we keep the canned cat food, and his all time favourite, the reducing [all you can eat] diet dried food.

It’s not really all you can eat, he just thinks it is.

It is what it is:

How to resist?  I know it’s not good, we portion, we reduce, we water down, he still begs, demands even more food.  And at a can a day, plus a little bit of dried, we go through the 24 can case quickly. 

So quickly that when I arrived at the vet’s office, and guiltily asked for another case, it was a case of raised eyebrows.  Although nothing was said, I am sure they are thinking, hmmmm, going through that pretty fast aren’t you?

Well, [blushing], yes we are. But that’s OK, because now I have another source, a new supplier, one that will only see me every second time around.

Like you will from now on.

So ha on you!

Figuring it out":

Overeaters not so anonymously has figured out how to wiggle out of the inevitable questions on why we are going through so many cans of cat food a month.  In fact, if I can find a third supplier, I might just include them.

Of course the judgement will come when he goes in for his Annual Exam.

And if the perplexed vet wonders why Bootsie isn’t loosing any weight on the reducing diet that he prescribed.  Or if he figures it out, I will just say, “it’s all my husband’s fault, he over feeds him still.”

Names of the innocent have been changed to protect their identity.   No animals were overfed, or harmed in the making of this blog post.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Dreams

 

These candy pink cherry blossoms are a dream...

Only dreaming:

And much better then the dream I had last night, that my camera was stolen, and replaced by a ordinary non digital SLR.  I wasn’t as upset about the loss of the camera, [in the dream] but the fact that I never got to download the latest batch of images onto my computer really upset me. I was sure that some of my best spring shots were on that memory card.

A photographers worst nightmare.

 

Funny how memories in a dream can be so upsetting, and feel so real.

Life, dreams, living.

Well I hope that is one dream that doesn’t come true.

Happy Thoughts:

On a happy note, spring feels like sweeping back a curtain in the window.  Bit’s and pieces are being portrayed slowly to us.  With the cool weather, and over abundance of rain, it’s as if we are experiencing our very own slo mo movie.

Dreamy Blooms:

Blooms are lasting so much longer, and each is having it’s own preview, instead of being lumped together in one big show.

It’s a good change.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams 

 

Spring things unfurling

 

 

Spring Flowers:

It’s not just spring flowers that are unfurling around here.  I am proud to say that there are now two bloggers in our family.

My sister “Turf Toter” has finally ventured into the deep, and wonderful waters of blogging. Her blog is called Okanagan Asparagus Farm, and it will feature their farm, and the produce they grow in the sunny Okanagan, BC.  And I am sure there will be a few adventures thrown in for good measure.

Starting a blog isn’t easy, and beginning one just when your spring season ramps up to “crazy” status, makes it even more of a challenge. I think that they are up to it.

Farmers:

They have farming in their blood, dirt between their toes, and dust all over their clothes.  But asparagus waits for no person farmer, and it must be planted.

Using a antique asparagus planter, and a reliable tractor that purrs like a cat, everyone takes a turn out in the fields. 

If you have ever wondered where your food comes from drop by her blog and get a first hand glimpse of what it takes to get those tasty spears of asparagus from field to the market.

Even more:

Did I mention that they also grow amazing strawberries, corn, and some of the best watermelon I have ever tasted in my life?  They do, and I am sure that some of that produce will be showing up on her blog soon.

I can hardly wait to bite into a Okanagan grown cantaloupe, and take a ice cold slice of watermelon.  Crunching on that, along with the pickled asparagus my Mom cans, makes my summer complete.

And who knows, maybe if you ask her, she can post the recipe on her blog.

So drop by and let her know that I sent you.

Okanagan Asparagus Farm

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

It’s the oddest thing…

 

 

Wise words to the gardener in me:

I don’t know about you, but does it seem as if this April is like standing still besides a moving freight train?  All that huffing, and puffing, noise, and then there is nothing left to see, just a echo on the wind. 

Where are the beautiful breezes, and fragrant colorful blooms of April we normally get?  It’s as if we are poised, dangling our legs in the sky, sitting on the upside of the teeter totter, desperately waiting to fall down into spring.  But the person [spring] on the other side is heavier then us, and refuses to play.

We long to get our fingers dirty in warm soil, but it’s soggy, and cold. And we long to get the camera out of hibernation, but the rain isn’t good for it.

Patience pays off: 

So we wait, and we wait, and we do a little whining, a little whinging.  But meanwhile we refuse to look around at the gorgeous view from our position up on the top of the teeter totter, because, well... we want down, into spring. 

And it’s happening all around us, we are just too caught up in our displeasure to notice it. Did you notice the anemones blooming at the library?  Did you see the Daff’s nodding their heads in the wind, sparkling with rain diamonds?

Yes, it’s the latest spring I can remember, and yes, things are slow to start.  But sometimes that is a gift, look at how long the crocus have lasted.  The snowdrops just finished up, they started in January.  Imagine, over 3 months of snowdrops.

Blessings:

Sometimes we are blessed, and we are just too stubborn to acknowledge it.

So it rains a lot, a very lot.  Yes, it’s rain, and yes, it’s cold.

It’s a late spring, learn to live with it.  Soon it will be a kaleidoscope of color out there, take the time to relish it.

Learn to appreciate cooler weather, it makes the flowers last that much longer.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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Cosy Little House now has shoppes

 

I have always loved Brenda’s blog,  Cosy Little House, she is the kind of blogger that makes you feel right at home, instantly.  Pull up a chair at the repurposed table and sit yourself on down, with a cup of coffee.  She dispenses blogging advice on Mondays, and Welcome Wagon on Fridays, and has boundless energy and creativity.  Brenda likes to collect vintage items, and is always displaying them with a enviously easy flair.

When she approached me, and offered a spot in her Cosy Little shoppes that she now features on her side bar, I was happy to take part.  You can find my Art cards, and tiles, along with enlargements through her button. Click on any carefully selected vendor’s button to find treasures.

Welcome Wagon Friday cleverly comes out on Thursdays, and features new bloggers. If you would like to join us on CLH’s side bar, and be a featured vendor, just click here for more info.

With the addition of the Cosy Little Shoppes, this makes Brenda’s blog a even more fun destination.

So drop by, you will find a interesting collection of vendors there, and are sure to see the perfect gift.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

A rose between two thorns [primroses]

 

 

 

You know flowers talk to people, don’t you?

Well this one clematis was rather full of itself.  Proudly proclaiming that it was a rose between two thorns.

 

Ah, Clematis you are between two prim – roses, not roses.  And they are certainly not thorns.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Check out the new post over at Blu oom

http://bluoom.blogspot.com

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