The ground has been warm enough for Andy to dig the holes for the six fruit trees he’s going to plant this year.
February 28, 2014
February 28, 2014
He’ll wait until this latest storm is over before he orders the trees.
March 1, 2014
March 1, 2014
What a difference a day makes!
Fortunately winter is almost over — his woodpile is getting smaller and smaller.
February 28, 2014
February 28, 2014
What was the first day of March like for you?
March 2, 2014
That’s looks like it was a lot of digging! But the dirt looks like it might be easy to work with.
And now to March. Well the first day was really not to bad with temperatures right around 60 degrees. But today…. we are awaiting the arrival of sleet, snow and possibly significant icing due here this afternoon. Power outages are my greatest concern because if I lose electricity I lose all sources of heat so I have staged my warm clothes for a layering attire and along with extra blankets. We tend to lose power around here at the drop of a hat so I may be disconnected from Cyberspace for a time, will just have to wait and see! 🙁
The holes are a lot deeper than the trees need so Andy can bury hardware cloth to protect the roots from critters. He learned that the hard way.
We lose all of our heat and the ability to cook when the electricity goes out. So far we’ve been lucky that it doesn’t go out for very long. Good luck! We have a lot of warm clothing and comforters just in case. And emergency food that doesn’t need cooking. I would really miss the internet.
Well, I came out of the weather yesterday pretty much unscathed thank goodness. No power problems whatsoever so I am happy about that! 🙂
Not sure how Mike may have made out… think he had it quite a bit worse up in his area of the state.
That’s great that your poser didn’t go out. Here’s hoping your winter is almost over.
The days were getting warmer by end February but the minimim temperature dropped.
http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=4963122791929323375&SectionId=4924098573178130559&SectionName=Latest%20News&NewsDate=20140301&NewsTitle=City%20min%20temp%20drops%20by%209%20degrees
At this time of year it probably won’t last very long. Your minimum temperature wouldn’t have been considered very cold here. Here they’re starting to worry about wildfires because of the lack of snow/precipitation.
Well I don’t want to rain on Andy’s parade so I won’t mention on fruit trees not being able to produce fruit at that altitude–maybe a few apples–oops I think I did mention it.
We get apricots at this lower altitude about once every 5 yrs. Last year there were No fruits, not even apples, because of late frost. Well, we’re all a little bit crazy. Oops, I’m raining again. If it makes you feel better, I have a high level of craziness. 😀 This icon doesn’t mean I’m joking but that I’m good with it –or OK. 😀 😀 😀
😀 🙂 😉 🙁 :/ Just having fun. It doesn’t take much for crazy people to have fun.
We had plenty of cherries, plus some apples and plums. The pears were just starting to come in. In another 20 or 30 years we should have fruit coming out our ears.
Well OK but the weather is different now. Drought included.
Here’s a July, 2011 picture of the roasted apples on one of the Yellow Transparents. There were more on the Anoka, Red Dutchess, Cortland, two more Yellow Transparents and a Lodi. Also one apple had started on my Granvenstein — after 15 years. Andy says it had a tough life, someone had nibbled on its trunk and it had to start over.
Andy does water them regularly. It’s a lot of TLC.
Andy says don’t forget the apples got roasted on June 26. They would have grown a LOT bigger. (Insult his apples? Humph!) 😆
Sorry I insulted Andy’s apples. 🙁 But I finally got the joke part. 😀
And where will your ears be in 20 to 30 years? 😀 (“In another 20 or 30 years we should have fruit coming out our ears.”)
Yes, that was a joke. Andy used to say, “In a couple of years, Jean, you’ll have fruit coming out your ears.” It took more than a couple of years — more like 20 or 30. It was a steep learning curve, as they say. 😀
We’re a bit north and a little higher in elevation than Alan, thus our March 1st was about 4 or 5°F cooler. We planted one fruit tree last week during a break in the winter of 2014.
March 2nd, on the other hand, started out at 41° when I go up around 7am, but, at 2pm, it’s 29°F (-1.5°C) …. and raining with ice starting to build up on the trees. It’s supposed to get down to 13°F (-8.5°C) with the rain turning over to sleet and snow — we’ll see I guess. We’ve lost power four times this year and have everything still staged — just in case. Camper is still connected for powering kitchen and bathroom. We still have enough firewood if we need it. We’ll be able to stay connected unless both CenturyLink and Verizon go down.
We’re ready for this long winter to be over. I hate to think what it’s been like in the northern states when Arkansas has had a real winter.
I’m so happy you’re prepared. Yay, Mike!
We would probably go up to the cottage for heat and cooking, but there’s no internet or cell phone connection. I would really miss that.
We dodged the freezing rain bullet — got sleet instead, with temperature this morning down to 11°F — darned cold for March in Arkansas.
Saturday, March 1st was sooooooooo cold. A southerly crept up the country and took a hold on Auckland, in the morning (at least). I was at schoolboy cricket, the only things that I had extra, I threw into my day bag at the last minute.
A liteweight sweater and a cotton/blend short scarf…
But what was most cold was my skirt which although long wasn’t not warm enough…
The spectators spend a lot of time standing up and swinging their arms about; some of the locals went home for warmer clothing!
In the afternoon when I returned to the city, there was a weak sun – not as cold but I still didn’t feel warm.
Today, Monday – definite change in the weather, drizzly showers moving at fast pace pushed by a wind, not as southerly…
That’s the trouble — it’s hard to plan ahead when the weather changes unexpectedly. It makes me realize what a homebody I am! That almost never happens to me now. I just check the thermometer before I leave the house and put on the appropriate jacket.
I do like to watch the weather when it changes. Andy looks at the TV forecast almost every evening.
March 1 roared in like a lion. So much for my plans to dig deep into spring cleanup of the garden while Eric is off in France (physics conference at Chamonix. He says the skiing is great.)
Our neighbors planted about 10 different fruit trees a few years ago; maybe 4 have survived the weirdnesses of our climate here. They got a few pears. Here’s to better luck and conditions up there in your mountain!
We won’t mention how many trees Andy has gone through up there. He used to say, “This is a …, before that there was the …, and before that the ….” I never bothered to try to keep track of the history. He does say before they burned up he had about a dozen trees that were doing fine. He can name them for you if you would like. (Do you remember the yearly slide shows?)
Overcast and drizzly in my part of the world.
We’re so spoiled by the sun we like overcast, as long as there’s precipitation to go with it.
i hope his wood holds out!
and i got a great laugh of fruit out the ears! LOLOL. what a weird old saying!
we got ice. then snow. then that night some more ice.
i just had lunch with the marine. he picked me up.
when he should of picked me up is when i got out of his truck and fell flat on my back!
LOLOL.
one leg went under the car parked beside us and my back hit his truck.
i was thrashing around there trying to get back up. slick as a mirror!
he finally realized i wasn’t beside him walking to the door of the restaurant i guess.
no damage. a shin scrape and ping pong sized lump. could have been worse! 😀
adventures abound.
I’m glad your fall wasn’t any worse. Please be careful. Ice is treacherous, as you know better than I do!