March is almost over; my winter vacation is coming to an end. The snow is melting very slowly and we have a bunch of confused and very hungry robins hopping around. The early bird gets the snowbank this spring; there won't be worms until the frost is out of the ground. Gosh, I'd hate to be a robin right about now.
I haven't planted any flower seeds yet. Two weeks ago with Joel's help we managed to get the greenhouse out of the machine shed at Mom's and hauled down here. We propped everything up against Willie the Willow waiting for spring. There's still a good foot of snow to melt down before we can put the greenhouse up. Joel had to snowblow drifts before we could get to the shed. We wanted to get the greenhouse out of the shed before the snow melted so we didn't cut deep ruts later on. We usually have the greenhouse up in mid-March, but oh, well, ain't gonna happen this year.
While we are waiting for the big meltdown, we've been busy with the stained glass. Carl finally finished soldering the big Wisteria this weekend. I still have to go over it and clean it thoroughly before I patina it, but it's a relief to see it on the base. This one was over a year in the making, though during the gardening season it sat untouched.
These aren't the greatest pictures, I was sitting on my exercise ball and trying not to tip over. Eventually we'll take some more formal, better lit portraits. There are five repeats to this lamp and each side is a slight bit different. I'm pretty much over obsessing about my glass choices. If we ever make another one, I'll try something different. Every lamp is a learning experience.
While Carl was working on the Wisteria, I was working on the next shade, an Allamanda. (More on that very soon.)
We're also working on a stained glass window for Castle Aaargh, too.
I put my skis and boots away this weekend with a heavy heart. I only missed five days this winter went the weather was too frigid, it was a fantastic skiing season.
I went to help Carl shovel the snow out of Aaargh this afternoon and noticed how our evergreens have been damaged by dessication and the extreme cold. I should have wrapped the trees last fall, but well, I didn't. Truth be told, we've never wrapped any of the evergreens for the winter, and even if we would have, some of them are so large it would be almost impossible anyway. The end result will probably find us culling out some specimens, but that's the way it goes.
The problem was hit and miss, some trees came through perfectly. Others not so much.
We're sad about this 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' limber pine. It's a big tree and very damaged. Oh, well.
It was a Long Winter.
(But it was Great Fun while it lasted!)
I haven't planted any flower seeds yet. Two weeks ago with Joel's help we managed to get the greenhouse out of the machine shed at Mom's and hauled down here. We propped everything up against Willie the Willow waiting for spring. There's still a good foot of snow to melt down before we can put the greenhouse up. Joel had to snowblow drifts before we could get to the shed. We wanted to get the greenhouse out of the shed before the snow melted so we didn't cut deep ruts later on. We usually have the greenhouse up in mid-March, but oh, well, ain't gonna happen this year.
While we are waiting for the big meltdown, we've been busy with the stained glass. Carl finally finished soldering the big Wisteria this weekend. I still have to go over it and clean it thoroughly before I patina it, but it's a relief to see it on the base. This one was over a year in the making, though during the gardening season it sat untouched.
We're also working on a stained glass window for Castle Aaargh, too.
I put my skis and boots away this weekend with a heavy heart. I only missed five days this winter went the weather was too frigid, it was a fantastic skiing season.
 |
| Carl |
I went to help Carl shovel the snow out of Aaargh this afternoon and noticed how our evergreens have been damaged by dessication and the extreme cold. I should have wrapped the trees last fall, but well, I didn't. Truth be told, we've never wrapped any of the evergreens for the winter, and even if we would have, some of them are so large it would be almost impossible anyway. The end result will probably find us culling out some specimens, but that's the way it goes.
We're sad about this 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' limber pine. It's a big tree and very damaged. Oh, well.
It was a Long Winter.
(But it was Great Fun while it lasted!)
10 comments:
I'm sorry to see that some of the evergreens were damaged. It's always such a crapshoot on which ones will be OK and which ones will suffer, so hard to tell some years.
Hopefully Spring gets here soon. It seemed like we were on our way, enough melting to reveal patches of grass, and now we're smack in the midst of another blizzard. I hope this one goes elsewhere once it moves East and misses you in Wisconsin!!
That's amazing that you only missed a handful of days skiing this winter. Good for you!! Our snow is never ending here. We are under another day of storm watch with ice pellets and snow forecasted. It's unreal and not the norm but we'll have to deal with it I guess. We have 4 to 6 foot snowbanks and drifts around our house and a good 2 - 3 feet of snow on the lawns. There will be a flood season if this all melts quickly. Your wisteria shade came out beautifully. I hope your spring weather continues and you can get your greenhouse up and growing. :)
For the rest of the country, this has been a long, stormy, never-ending winter. It's been a very wet, even wetter than normal, winter here in the PNW. We broke records for rainfall in March and February. I don't know if you heard about the horrifying mudslide that buried a whole neighborhood, they are still digging out. It's not near me, but it's still scary and saddening.
I am looking forward to spring so much.
So sorry about the damage to the evergreens. We are seeing a lot of it in the Chicago area also. My boxwoods are burned but I think I can just cut it off, some yew damage. You have a great hobby to keep you busy during a long winter, glass so beautiful!
Eileen
I'm seeing lots of evergreen damage here in Ohio as well. Mainly Alberta Spruce and arborvitae. Oh well...opens the spot to try something new. That is a gorgeous tree though. I'm seeing an Alaskan weeping cedar!
My Vanderwolf Pyramid Limber Pine is totally brown as well, along with many others... as long as the candles are good, this too shall pass. I'm tired of obsessing over it!! lol
The shade is very pretty... larry
It's been such a long winter. I've pretty much just hibernated the last few months - maybe I need to take up skiing! Thankfully the snow is pretty much melted here, so the robins have been having a field day skittering around the yard. Your lamp is gorgeous!!
Your wisteria lamp is magnificent! Oh the patience it must take to put something like that together...much like waiting for the snow to melt! Hope you're in your greenhouse soon.
I am sorry about your trees. It breaks my heart when just one of my plantings fails on me. Girl you should have gotten your skiing in this winter. LOL! It has to be great exercise. I can just picture me doing the splits or bouncing on my back side. I just do not bounce well these days. LOL!
I imagine by now you have been busy sowing those seeds. I sowed some more last week. I waited too long for some of them. Oh well. I managed to find and bought two of the Bubblegum petunias for this year. I am so excited. They will not be as big as yours get probably but I had to find them and try them just once because I loved yours. Have a great week and a Happy Easter.
Karen, the lamp is breathtaking!
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