Another day, another snow fall!

Big wet plops of snow like dog licks on your face are falling with distressing density. The hoophouse requires multiple brushings to keep it on its feet. And someone told me it might snow over 16 inches! Oh noes!

But this is blessed moisture for spring. Providing we don't have a disastrously hot heat wave with a short drought as we had a few years ago, we should have a blossoming of plants we don't always see. Last year the plains got enough moisture that they were covered near the Pawnee Buttes area with evening primroses. The local news talked to some loquacious rancher who assured them the flowers were prairie roses. I was washing dishes at the time and didn't see the video, and was all agog to see these prairie roses that only bloom every few years! And then the next day I saw the video and saw that they were Oenothera caespitosa, which is the most common Evening Primrose around here. Sigh.

What a long winter

Now that spring is officially here, I can say unequivocally that this winter was definitely not great. No, it did not snow too much. But somehow I forgot to plant my vegetables early enough so all I overwintered was a bunch of wondrous two-leaved seedlings. The weather was OK and winterish, but it seemed uncommonly cold, the ice patches never melted and I skated on a lot of the dog walks.

But this is now really the official spring! Each snowfall, no matter how cold it gets (and I still have to cover the plants in the hoophouse) is WONDERFUL. It is moisture for the little tough green leaves peeking out of the ground. I go searching for the nascent cranes-bills (not there yet!) and spot a timid mustard showing off a bit of pale yellow. Those are really flowers! and soon the purple crucifers will spread over the ground, grass will spring up, the violas will bloom...Hurray!