Bundle up

There was a big flock of happy robins foraging in the yard this week, along with a pair of noisy Stellar Jays working out their relationship.  Of course it isn't spring yet, not even close, but compared to the polar vortex in the Midwest, Seattle looks like the Garden of Eden.  We watched Green Bay and San Francisco play on that brown, brick-hard field yesterday, with the thousands of people outside in below zero temperatures.  Some human behaviors defy explanation.

The plants don't stop growing here in the winter, they just take a little catnap in December and January before everything springs into action again. The Northwest is a nice gardening climate, except that work is always looming on the horizon.  There's no lazing around inside for six months daydreaming over blub and seed catalogs.

Our lawns are vibrant green right now (ignore that moss) and will turn brown in the summer (frugal watering.) It's a bit like California, in the way the green and brown seasons are reversed from most parts of the country.  Green rolling hills in the winter and golden brown in the summer. 

Outside my window this clump of Shasta daisies is already poking through the new compost.  Think they like it?  I can still hear the compost blower's ominous parting words:  weeds sure do love a coat fresh compost in the spring.  So far they haven't popped through the top layer,  but that's just a matter of weeks now.

It was a nice sunny weekend, with no snow in the mountains or rain in the lowlands. Not good news for next summer's water supply. The ski areas are still closed and we're already hearing about the "drought."

Stay warm and safe during this strange week.