First spring day!

Feb. 16, 2016

Last week my sons and I slipped on frozen sidewalks as we headed to school. This week the temperature climbed to the 60s, a sudden warmth so magical you could hear it -- as icicles dripped and rooftops purged their burdens of snow down giggling rainspouts.

The laughter called me outside. I've had rather a blue season, whether it was affected by winter or not I can't say, but a hard season nonetheless. This first spring day woke my soul like a buried seed warmed sufficiently to want to reach for the light. I'm ready to make a change.

I went for a walk and met an older woman laboring to free a large branch downed in winter's first harsh storm. She was delighted when together we pulled it from its snowbank trap.

The sun and blue skies urged me to my garden beds, which have been hidden beneath white for the last two months. Yet there they were, a few spots of deeper, drifted snow here and there, but the plot otherwise warm and spongy-brown. I turned over a quick row and sprinkled some spinach seeds. I hoped to find a ladybug, and lo and behold, I did! I spent several satisfying minutes watching it climb over snow. I've never seen that combination. Or have I just never wanted to before? It was marvelous.

When spring emerges from winter's icy hold so quickly it's like an eager child throwing off the covers and jumping out of bed. That's the first spring day. Then the seasonal shift enters a bit of adolescence and identity crisis, teasing between two extremes. Warm? Cold? Tempestuous? Calm? Right now as I write this, after all, hail and thunder are playing outside. Take shelter, ladybug! Sometimes that first spring day arrives after the calendar definition, sometimes before.

April 15, 2015. 

Yes, spring is changeable. So am I. Perhaps that's why I'm so eager for it to fully arrive.

Bird Counts

Even though birds sometimes nibble at the produce I raise, I would never want a backyard farm without them. Their presence in my yard assures me the eco-system right outside my door is diverse and robust.

Conservationists likewise value birds as a barometer of the landscape, and seek the help of "citizen scientists" to help track birds in their own yards. The website ebird.org provides a format to submit observations any time, or people may participate in organized bird counts over designated time frames. One such is in Australia next week. An international backyard bird count is slated for Feb. 12-15, 2016 -- we will write about that more here closer to then. 

Have you ever participated in a bird count? This seems a fascinating activity to do with children, students or scouts. If you've participated, what did you learn and enjoy most?

Here is a release about the Australia count:

0. The Aussie Backyard Bird Count is back, and the aim is to spot a million birds in seven days. A key celebration of Bird Week 2015, it will run from 19-25 October.
   
   Last year, BirdLife Australia’s first-ever Aussie Backyard Bird Count confirmed that our backyards—in all their shapes and sizes—continue to attract a range of birds, giving us hope that even as the iconic Aussie backyard shrinks, many birds remain.
   
   The birds—and their counters—came out in record numbers for the first Aussie Backyard Bird Count, with more than 800,000 birds spotted and many different species seen in backyards across the country. Colourful Rainbow Lorikeets led the national tally, being the most spotted birds in NSW, WA, SA and Queensland, while the Australian Magpie led the flock in Victoria and the ACT. In the NT the Budgerigar was the most common bird, while the House Sparrow led in Tasmania.
   
   The national focus on birds is extremely important with data showing Australian backyards have been shrinking since the 1990s, and populations of some of our most familiar birds, such as Australian Magpies and Laughing Kookaburras, have also declined. With growing national and international concern for the welfare of these iconic birds, it’s critical that all Australians take the time this October to participate in the second Aussie Backyard Bird Count.
   
   BirdLife Australia is hoping to build on the success and momentum of last year’s Aussie Backyard Bird Count, encouraging more people to get involved and count their local birds during Bird Week 2015, 19-25 October. If you’re an early bird, you can register your interest as a counter now at aussiebirdcount.org.au or join the #AussieBirdCount conversation.
   
   To get involved all you need is 20 minutes, your ‘green patch’ of choice, and some keen eyesight or binoculars. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a novice or an expert—we’ll be there to help you out along the way. Simply record the birds you know and look up those you don’t on our updated Aussie Bird Count app (available for download early October) or our website. You’ll see live statistics and information on who is taking part near you and the number of birds and species counted across your neighbourhood and the whole of Australia!
   
   And to help you on your way, as part of National Bird Week, BirdLife Australia and the Birds in Backyards program will help Australians create more bird-friendly backyards, with advice on which trees and shrubs to plant. It’s amazing what a difference native trees make.
   
   For more information about Aussie birds visit birdlife.org.au 
   

Gardening up close -- do you have photos to share?

One of the things I love best about gardening is the time spent rubbing shoulders with plants helps me see amazing details I may otherwise overlook. Here are a few of my discoveries this summer.

The majesty of light and water in trapped rainfall on a pea leaf.

Two sleeping bees in a pod: (OK, gaillardia flower)

The energy of a cucumber vine ready to unfurl:

Do you have favorite garden shots you'd love to share? Email them to me at jkhgardener@gmail.com. If you don't already have a word mark on your photo, tell me what you'd like me to add before I post -- so you get all the credit. (Please, your work only.) If you have a website include that information for me to share. Email me by Sept. 30.

Let's inspire each other with the beauty we see!

What I Learned from Eighties Teen Movies....and Then Forgot

The moral of the story in every eighties teen movie is that you don't appreciate what is right in front of you. You know the story. The emotionally deep, nice, geeky guy likes cool rich girl. The guy uses his best friend who is a girl to help him get the rich girl, then at the end realizes his friend is the one that he really likes. He didn't appreciate what was right there in front of him.

How often do we do the same thing, looking at the good things that might be out of reach and ignoring those good things that are right in front of us? I had an experience that reminded me to appreciate what is in front of me this week. I always plan on taking my kids hiking so they can enjoy the beauty of nature yet I rarely find the time to drive to "the mountains" to hike. My brother and his family visited us from North Dakota this week. I woke up to find that he had left. I asked where he was and was told that he went on a hike. When he got back he told me of the wonders he found hiking behind my house. The next day we all put on our best walking shoes and climbed the hill behind our house. We saw lizards run across our path. There were desert roses blooming with beautiful orange flowers. Four antelope were startled by our approach and we watched them run until we couldn't see them any more. Interspersed between the dry brown grass and gray sagebrush there was Indian Paintbrush dotting the landscape. I spent quality time with my kids and we had a great time.

This is the hill behind our house. It is bigger and steeper than it looks. Those are all 15 foot tall juniper trees on the hill.

Below are some of the views we saw from the top of the hill. The orange arrow in the first picture shows our house.
(click image to enlarge)

Life is an eighties movie. It is important to notice the good and beauty that is right there in front of you. Try not to always look for something good to happen down the road. Don't say to yourself "life will be better when ______." Enjoy the journey of life now, and look around you for the beauty of nature, or life, or family. Stop reading this article, walk around your house/apartment/office, or go outside and find something good or beautiful that is around you now. What can you appreciate now? You will find something. Once you do, come back and comment on what you found.

d

~michael~