Today dawned white and fluffy again, thanks to a storm cycling around the area. Trying its best to go out like a lion, March threw a curveball weather pattern our way. The big snowflakes eventually melted during noonday sun, only to be followed by a chilly wind and horizontal snow, which thankfully did not accumulate.
The three of us decided on indoor pursuits. Some bill paying, some internet surfing . . . I swept my table clear of such respectable tinkerings and made a collage. Wishing for spring, as we all do during these stormy spring moments, I suppose we could call this one ‘Spring Green Dreams’. Actual chard is sporting true leaves in the hoop houses these days, as are kale and assorted Asian greens. The afternoon finished on a golden note, with just a slight wind ushering the day’s squalls eastward.
I went back to school last week, in a subject I thought I was finished with after dissecting a cat in high school: biology. Specifically, bee biology for beginners, served up alongside general beekeeping lessons. The class was in a 
Spring seems the most fickle of seasons. Today dawned sunny, warming our bodies enough to discard a couple of layers while working in the hoop houses. Then, a breeze floated into the pine boughs, the temperature dropped and the wind took greater hold. A snow squall appeared shortly, blowing over the Soldier Mountains and wafting in our general direction. Where sun rays had radiated across our vision, now flakes danced furious horizontal tangos. And then, all was calm, as the temperature continued to drop silently.
rows, covering the soil in a luscious green carpet. And while the hoop house greens grow ever faster, our minds run an even quicker pace. Seeds arrived today, from wonderful 
A cacophony of red winged blackbirds stimulates our greenhouse work days, the excited songs lilting somewhat hectically out of beat with our steady weeding rhythm. Such harbingers of spring have a way of flinging open the soul’s hopeful chambers, inviting any and all ideas to considerate roosting. Clarence and Tona routinely anticipate warmer weather and earlier planting dates by facilitating faster snowmelt from the outside garden area.
To do so, get a wheelbarrow of compost in position next to the area you would like to thaw. Get a good scoop-full on a flat shovel and fling it over the snow patch. The goal is to get a very thin layer of the compost on top of the soil, thus obstructing reflective surface. I went about it incorrectly with my first shovels, practically dumping compost on top of the snow, thinking it was the heat of the substance doing the work. Rather, all you need to do is change up the reflection, so that the sun’s rays are absorbed with the dark dirt. Coated in this manner, the snow is melting twice as fast as the surrounding mounds . . . I can almost see bare ground!
My knees no longer seem indefatigable body parts. Gone are the childhood days of elastic, carefree movement. Here to stay are the days of acutely aware bodily motions, exacted with attentive ears honed in on creaking parts.
reach far into a bed without going off balance. Let us know if you find where to purchase more of these!
your knees to doing non-knee-use tasks, preferably before too much time has passed. This ‘vary your physical movement’ rule is applicable for all farm tasks. Repetitive motion is not good for hours on end, no matter what it involves.
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