blithewold.org

Spring tease

Kris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:39:38 +0000

It’s still January for at least for another day or so, but it looks strangely an awful lot like mid-February – or even March here and there, and feels about the same. My brain thinks that means that May is right around the corner. But it isn’t. Not by a long shot. We can’t have [...]

A new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Kris — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:43:44 +0000

It is prettier than the old map, interactive (click on it to check out the zip code zone finder), and the information is finally up to date. But it’s not good news and there are no surprises here. Nothing we haven’t already figured out for ourselves. The new map is based on weather-station data collected [...]

Tucked under a blanket

Kris — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:22:08 +0000

Snow finally fell in measurable amounts (about 9″) over the weekend forcing us to take life a little more slowly. I think that’s what I love best about a snow days: permission to slow down and tuck in. Luckily I didn’t have anywhere I needed to be as the snow fell and I hope you [...]

Slippery slopes

Kris — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:11:34 +0000

Just in time for winter to finally look and feel more like a proper winter, Gail and I are sliding headfirst towards spring. We started the new year by looking through magazine back issues for inspiration. (Do you do that too? It’s as if I never saw them before – and in some cases I [...]

The weight of winter blooms

Kris — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:25:15 +0000

Gardeners are reputed to be an optimistic group but I think we might just be stubborn. Most of us at least are prone to occasional – usually weather related – bouts of pessimism, gloom-and-doom opinion competitions, and worry. But no matter how dire we guess things will be, giving up is never an option. (And [...]