Monday, March 26, 2007

It's Just Too Warm!!







I'm just not ready for this! Today, the temperatures were in the high 70s and very windy. It was like a summer day - not early spring. I worked outdoors raking and getting rid of leaves, dead stalks, and branches from last year. And, I finally took down the corn shocks from Thanksgiving, and the metal Santa that I tied to them for the holidays! I've still got Christmas lights, garland, and beads to take out of the window boxes and I'll be done with the holiday decorations. I know -- bad!!





We've had rain and warm temps and things have literally shot up. The little plant to the above right is called corydalis solida. It came up yesterday, and was blooming today. They are wonderful little things, about 8" high and self seed like crazy. But never where they are unwelcome and if you are totally cruel, they are pulled out with ease. I find them in the lawns and in any little nook and cranny they can squeeze into. The foliage (you can't really tell from the picture) is a fresh green and ferny and the plant forms a nice sized cushion with lovely mauve-pink, oddly shaped flowers that go for about 3 weeks (if it stays cool). And the best thing about them is they disappear as summer comes on. I started out with a few roots years ago, and now they are in most of the gardens.

Oh yes, back to the heat. I am really a cool weather person - you can have the hot summer weather! I've never been one to sun bathe or love summer sports. Once the temperature is above 75 I retreat to the shade or into my air conditioned house. Even as a child I was that way.

Oddly enough, I've worked 26 years in a factory with no air conditioning and stifling heat! I would drag myself through the job from break to break sweating like crazy and feeling weak and sometimes, sick. But I kept on and now I've finally got a job where I've got a little air conditioned office off the main shop floor. It is like heaven!! I'd drive to work in air conditioning and sit in an air conditioned house - kind of a prisoner of the weather. And now they say the summers will be getting even hotter! I love spring and summer gardening and all that comes with it, but a part of me always looks forward to fall and winter - when I can be comfortable.

Enough of my whining! I got a lot done over the weekend and feel that I've got a fine start to planting season. Next week I'll put in peas outside and start some tomatoes indoors. And, if the ground is a bit drier in the vegetable garden, I'll do a bit of digging. You see I purchased a new type of pea that was bred for pots - what will they think of next? They are aptly named "Peas 'n a Pot". I'll start them in a half whiskey barrel that has last year's soil in it and see what happens. I'm giving half the seeds to my sister Cindy and she will be planting them in her garden. So I'll let you know how each planting situation goes.
And last night, as I "played" on my computer, I had another sign of spring tickling my arm. It was an ugly, huge tick making his way to who knows where! They are a creepy insect (I think they belong to the insect family) and it quickly ended up flushed down the toilet. With the warming climate, ticks have started showing up in the southern part of our state the past few years. They were unheard of down here - something that you had to watch for when you went to the "north woods". Now we check the dogs and ourselves when we come indoors and they are an unpleasant fact of spring and summer (and sometimes way into fall).
Well, I'm going to finish now and get to bed a little earlier than usual - probably 3 am. That is early for me since I'm a 2nd shift person.
Bye for now,
Alyssa
P.S. I saw a wild turkey run up the road and into the neighbor's yard as I gave the pugs their late afternoon walk. What a neat bird.

3 comments:

kate said...

I am enjoying your blog. I had to smile when I read about your dislike of hot temperatures. For most of the year, you'd like living here. In the summers, it is quite lovely ... it gets hot, but as we love to say, it's dry. It does make the world of difference though when heat isn't accompanied by humidity.

kate said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I enjoyed your comment and came to look at your pugs. They are adorable!!

And I can see why you are proud of your granddaughter. I was sorry to hear about the fibro...hopefully she is getting it under control.

I'm going to enjoy seeing your garden pics!

Entangled said...

I really envy your Corydalis. I've killed every one I've planted. I can't remember offhand which species I tried, but maybe I should try again with C. solida.