Remember all that boring stuff I wrote about the snow and ice only a couple of weeks ago? Although it started out foggy this morning, it’s now 78F and beautiful outside. I’d love to tell you I’m planting hellebores or something, but I’ve got four articles due this week, and two sick children. Chicken soup came first, and then research on vines later. I will try to get in the garden sometime today. I really do have hellebores to plant, several new seed strains including: Winter Jewels™ Painted Lenten Rose, Helleborus x ‘Brandywine,’ and Winter Jewels Apricot Blush. I bought these at TLC Nursery in Oklahoma City one day when Helen Weis and I were goofing off. Unfortunately, the snow came and put my planting on hold. When I was at the same nursery the other day looking for two Ilex x meservae a/k/a Castle Spire® hollies for the end of the garden, I noticed several hellebores were now blooming at TLC. With hellebores, it’s always a good idea to buy them blooming so you know what you have. So many are seed strains, and you just never know. I got a bit impatient. It’s a good thing I like surprises.
I simply must get outside. I’ve gazed so long at this computer my mind is feeling mushy. Birds are making love speech to one another, and a Tufted Titmouse is dancing outside my kitchen window. Wait, I am wrong. There are two, a male and female. I believe they are gathering nesting materials from the garden. I’m so glad. I left it for them to do with as they wish.
This morning, I was forced to put a nice leather harness on Tap. He has lost three collars in the last two weeks. I found a nice one at Petsmart by Martha Stewart, and it was even on sale. I bought him a leash too so that when we visit the vet later this week, he’ll look quite smart. We were forced to stake him in the yard (at least while we’re gone) because he has a girlfriend up the road. Puppies may ensue. They may ensue anyway, but at least we did our part. If she wanders over here, I can’t be responsible.
Our neighbor told us the other night at 2:00 a.m. Tap came looking for my neighbor’s dogs who are his friends, and he howled until Perry let him in the garage. Luckily Perry isn’t the neighbor who threatened to shoot Tap. Of course, Perry doesn’t have chickens. If he had, he might not be so obliging. Anyway, I hope a visit to the vet will help with Tap’s wandering ways.
Of course, we’ll have more freezing temperatures . . . it is February after all, but this morning, I found these lovely crocus already blooming and thought of you.
Wish you were here.
great post, my favourite elements are crocuses and tap (not necessarily in that order. good luck with the hellebores. cheers, cm
Oh, please take care of Tap. I would hate for anything to happen to him, and the threatening neighbor is not much of a neighbor. Our Penny has similar issues, she is a coiled steel spring waiting for release. She is built for and lives for running, so we have to be very careful when trasitioning to leash time.
Les, I’m doing my very best. I love that dog. Yesterday, he broke his halter. Then, he ate through the second harness. That makes two collars gone and two harnesses. However, the last couple of days, he’s staying home. He escaped before I could take him to the vet so I didn’t know if he’ d had food. I worked that out for next week.
As for my neighbors, when I lived in the city I would have been horrified at his attitude. However, I’ve lost dozens of chickens over the years to dogs, and so I can empathize with his frustration. The ironic part is his old dog killed some of mine. When we talked, I gently reminded him of that fact. I do believe the neighbor is all bluff. Sometimes, I wish Tap were a bit less strong and big. 🙂 ~~Dee
I don’t have crocuses but did see the tiny nose of a tulip. That’s a pleasant image for February in Kansas.
Patrick, any image of a flower is pleasant this time of year.
Our weather is feeling fairly balmy too. I’ll have to check on whether my crocus have appeared- as soon as my eye recovers from the surgery of this week.
Your garden looks lovely and it is very cheering to see the little bulbs- they are some of my favorites of all garden plants!
Ilona, I didn’t realize you’d had surgery on your eye. I hope all is better now. Thank you for your sweet words.
I love that shot of your red dirt on the side bar. We have only dark grey, clay like soil here, so it’s interesting to note that yes, there are other colors.
Snow here for a few minutes, hopefully it won’t last, the tulips leaves are showing, but no crocus yet. You must just be a little warmer then us.
Tap is gorgeous, and understandably the “hot doggie” of the neighborhood. Let’s hope that he doesn’t get into too much trouble.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
I had a wander dog like him…the trip to the vet didn’t help much (if you are referring to what I think you are.) He eventually ran away and didn’t come back. Sad day.
I would have been pretty excited about seeing those crocus popping out of the ground. I have jonquils peeking through.
Loving these warmer days!
Kelly
Oh my Dee, 78 degrees and your lovely garden and cute little naughty one – I wish I was there too! You have no idea how I long to see some bare ground at this point, with +2 feet of snow pack in CT 🙂
I wish too that I could walk in that scenery and meet Tap.
It’s interesting how our climates are in parallel at present – hellebores and crocuses – yet they will diverge in the summer.
Esther
I wish I were there, too. Crocuses! We still have snow as far as the eye can see, and 54F will be the height of our heat wave before it starts snowing again.
my sympathies- at least our snow is pretty much gone.
Well thank you! I wish I could be there, too… I am so glad you have had good planting weather. The Winter Jewel Hellebore are lovely~I have one and am so glad (must get more). Btw, I’ve been to TLC. They had many plants to temp me and they all made the trip back to Tennessee last summer. gail ps Tap is a beautiful pup.
At 78 degrees, count me in. Your pup is a cutie and looked to really be enjoying the weather. My lab was a chicken hunter. He used to bring the chickens he killed and present them on the doorstep like they were a trophy. But he also got buckshot in the behind from the farmer too.
Maybe you should invest in an invisible fence for your dog. Once a roamer always a roamer at least until he is so arthritic he can’t roam any more. Ha. It was warm here today too. 70. WOW. It felt so good.