Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Spring Tide Rising

I was listening to the reports of midwest freezing temps and upper New York state 10 foot snow drifts and it occurred to me that some folks might need to see a little preview of spring. This little collage shows the following:
1) a very tiny garden bed with collards, green onions, and a handful of red potatoes that sprouted in the kitchen.
2) Wild hog plum blossoms. This tree is a mass of swollen buds and should transform into a white cloud soon.
3) Black cherry ready to burst. This is a favorite wildlife and carving tree of mine and I stick them everywhere.
4) Knucklehead giving his pig a shower this past weekend. Still about a month to go before the fair. PIG weighed 190 pounds a week ago, she needs to be 235 just to make it into the fair. Note the flipflops ... see, spring is coming.
5) A tiny tentworm caterpillar nest. There were about 6 of these just beginning on the black cherry.
6) USS Summer School's mighty 48 hp outboard egg beater hooked to a hose and running in place. (Like you on a treadmill) She's staying in shape, 'cause she knows it's time to play again.
Not that it's toasty or anything like that. As I bang this out, it's 46 degrees predawn and athe forecast calls for rain.
The truest sign that spring is here in North Florida is the demise of my winter beard. One day soon it will just hit me and off will come winter's coat.
Then it's spring.
It's kind of a groundhog thing ... only weirdly different .
Posted by Picasa

15 comments:

threecollie said...

Whew, thanks FC, I needed that!
Say hi to our robin if you see him...and tell him to stay away from here. We are under a quarantine for that dreaded white stuff disease for today...although at least we don't have ten feet.

Anonymous said...

Great pics. I don't know why, but I love to see photos of other people's gardens. I planted a few tomatoes and red bell pepper plants yesterday. Alas, I'm going to have another small garden this year. But I can't wait to taste those 'maters!

If Threecollie happens to read this comment...your robins are currently living in my back yard and making a mess of things! :)

Anonymous said...

You'd better cover that garden. The weather forecast for north Florida Thursday night/Friday morning is a low of 18, high of 48. Brrrr cold. And it won't be much better the following night. Can we say "electric blanket"? When the danger of frost is over and spring is on the way, my husband also sheds his winter coat of facial hair. It shakes the dogs up for a day or two. They don't recognize him.

pissed off patricia said...

My sign of spring down here is when the brown thrashers show up and the cat birds go where ever they go. The cat birds arrive some time in Oct. and the thrashers pop back on the scene in March. Having kept a diary of such comings and goings of all birds in my yard for twenty years, I can predict the dates of arrivals within about a week.

According to our weather person, we may have freezing weather before this week is out. Here we go again bringing in the orchids. Why the hell did we buy three more last week at the orchid show?

Cathy said...

I'm crying. No! Really - I'm crying. Before me I see snow, snow . . . falling snow. (Thanks for the dream of Spring - I think)

robin andrea said...

We're having our first signs of spring too! I saw our first iris blooming yesterday. What a sight and a wonderful surprise. It's happening, spring and it's only going to get better and better. Woohoo. I am so ready.

Thunder said...

Welll since you don't actually have any groundhogs down there you'll never know just how weirdly different you are!

SophieMae said...

Mmmmmm, collards! You have a nice little veggie plate-in-waiting there! Did you put out your cornbread bushes to go with that? 8-} I like your strategic placement of the pig bath between the hog plums. 8-]

We're in a temp-extreme micro-climate - colder in winter, hotter in summer than the surrounding area - so our hog plums haven't popped out yet. But we've seen quite a few just a few miles up the road. The dogwood blossoms are just about to burst at the seams, as well. I'm looking forward to those and my favourite, wisteria.

R.Powers said...

ThreeCollie,
Your robins are playing chicken with the traffic around here darting back and forth across the road with reckless abandon.

Laura,
I can't seem to find time for anything more than a token garden right now.

Debbie,
Wow! I need to check the forecast! My bananas!!!

POP,
It's good exercise ... all that plant moving.

Cathy,
Welcome to Pure Florida! Hang in there, it will come!

Robin,
Glad it's springin' out there too!

Dave,
"This is what I've heard" ... ring a bell?

Sophie,
The corn bread bushes are right next to the ham hock holly tree.

Kristen said...

I've been out shoveling four times in the last 4 hours. Cleveland is getting it but good! Thanks for the taste of spring.

Anonymous said...

A wonderful collage, especially Ms. Piggy. She's a big girl but she's going to have to do better than a pound a day to make it. Maybe she'll be too small and you'll need to keep her as a member of the family.

It feel like Spring down here and I love seeing signs of new growth on the plants I've put in over the past 6 weeks. The weather has been kind for starting a yard and garden.

And if I live forever I will never understand that thing about beards that men do. Wait-it just dawned on me! Maybe it's like leg shaving for women...

LauraHinNJ said...

I was going to say that a few male birders I know call it their *winter plumage*, but as Vicki says, maybe women have their own off-season plumage too.

I'm very jealous of all the growing things - those collards look nice!

R.Powers said...

Kristen,
To us, that sounds like a winter wonderland, but I guess you guys get a little tired of the white stuff. Snow is always whiter on the other side of the fence :)

Vicki,
We do a lot of weird nonunderstandable things.
PIG can do it if she stays off the treadmill. They gain weight at 1.5 to 2 lbs a day when they're really eating.

Laurahinnj,
Those collards just get sweeter as the cold hangs around. Our next 3 days are forecast to be really cold for down here.
I never thought about the leg equivalent. That whole leg shaving thing is an oddity. Who in the world made that rule?

Alan said...

Signs of Spring or is that Florida Cracker is pining for Spring? {laughing}

Looks like a freeze Thursday and Friday nights. Going to have to put the cover back over the greenhouse it seems.

This cool weather has me in a baking mood. Made cinnamon raisin bread last night.

.....Alan.

Thunder said...

Wow, now that's a blast from the past! A little Derek and Clive! What about the Web-footed Barking Bullocks? Or Topless Darts at Rohampton?

Man I was just flooded with fun memories! Thanks!