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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

The Call Came Late Last Night

The automated message spoke the words that thrill children of all ages, "Due to weather conditions, all schools are closed."   Snow Day, Snow Day, SNOW DAY!  Chunky rain had been falling but it didn't turn to snow until evening and didn't start sticking to roads until later.  Of course I had to go out before dawn to see the white stuff.  Unlike Portland, we've not had more than a dusting this winter.


Because snow is an unusual occurrence here, we tend to enjoy it, especially if we don't have to be driving in it.

My favorite window in the house next to mine was made by my stained glass guru, Florence almost twenty years ago.  I still remember drooling over this panel in the window of the shop before it was installed.  Lucky for me, I get to see it from my garden.  Not snow-related but ain't it purty?

You may remember this view from autumn.



A bit different now.







The thrill of having a day off is tempered by the knowledge that an extra day will be added to the end of the school year.

The wet snow was very heavy but melted off of most of  the larger foliage by the end of the day. Plants mostly sprung right back up.

It's supposed to snow a bit more Monday night and then get clear and colder (down to 29 degrees.) With all of the wet roads, more snow and freezing temperatures... A phone call interrupted this thought.  Late start Tuesday.  Of course that may change.


The unexpected gift of free time is a delight but would be even nicer in June when playing with outdoor plants is an option.   Agave ovatifolia and very happy Yucca 'Bright Star.' Now that the yucca has grown past adolescence, it no longer suffers with yuccacne.  Funny, the one planted on the other side of the agave sort of petered out.

Chimonanthus praecox


Lonicera fragrantissima.

Why did that damned groundhog see his shadow this year?   Oh well, the Northwest Flower and Garden Show is only a little more than two weeks away.  The theme this year is "A Taste of Spring" and I'm definitely for a  big bite of that!

28 comments:

  1. Love this pix. How did you do the rainbow? I only got a day off when we had an eardthquake

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    1. Not sure which picture had a rainbow in it. I'd much rather have snow than an earthquake!

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  2. I hope your whale's tongue Agave survives. I planted a fairly large one my first year here and it got snowed on and frozen and turned to mush. Glad you got a day off!

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    1. This is the third or fourth year for that agave so I hope that it survives as it's grown so much from the gallon pot that got planted. One particularly wet year it got a bit of damage on outer leaves but quickly recovered in the summer.

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  3. You guys are getting all the snow we should have had. Looks pretty, I'll admit. But I'd trade it to have all those blooms in early February.

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    1. Sorry we're stealing your snow. It's pretty sweet to have both the snow and the blooms!

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  4. I love the before and after panoramic pictures, but not much else is appealing to me about snow. I had to stay home from work because I don't drive in the white stuff, and suffered a mild case of cabin fever. Your yucca look very good in the snow as do the dinosaur eggs. Let it melt, let it melt, let it melt.

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    1. I love the way snow looks and how hushed the night becomes when it falls in my usually noisy 'hood. The forced slowing down of life is a treat for a day or two.

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  5. Snow looks so much better when it's in someone else's garden!

    I feel so bad for all the teachers here in Portland, who will be working wayyyy into June, what with all the school days they've missed with the snow and ice here.

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    1. It's always a pain to make those days up in the summer when we'd much rather be playing outside. Oh well, it is what it is.

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  6. That dusting of snow makes for very pretty scenery. I hope you took full advantage of your unexpected day off.

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    1. While a few chores got done, I mostly wasted way too much time binge watching "The Crown" and "Grace and Frankie."

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  7. How beautiful! And yes, my boys were happy to have No School Day!
    I'm glad that your plants are OK, Peter! We have lots of broken branches here. Privet and Escallonia suffered the most. Have a great week!

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    1. Ouch! I just hopped over to your blog and your garden did get damaged. We got less snow in my neighborhood so no damage here.

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  8. Snow is always best when you don't have to drive in it. Glad that none of your plants seem to be damaged.

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  9. I know you wrote "driving in it", but I saw it as "diving in it" and thought that you should probably wait until it got a bit deeper before doing any snowdrift dives. :)

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  10. Love that last shot. Very pretty. The honeysuckle might disagree.

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    1. The cold tolerance of the winter bloomers is pretty amazing.

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  11. We didn't get any to stick this time around. We got enough the last time though. Your photos are beautiful.

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    1. You guys really got hit bad last time. Glad you were spared another snowmageddon!

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  12. Whoops. power just went out. can't see to type. snow not fun now.

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  13. Poor things! Your agave, camellia, Lonicera. It's a pity they suffer the cold weather. However kids are happy, playing with snow, aren't they Peter? And you have had a day off, taking photos and having a rest.

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  14. Ah, I remember the snow days of my youth with great fondness. In Chicago conditions have to be pretty apocalyptic to qualify for a snow day, though.

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  15. Lots of good shots. The best, IMO, being the snow capped blossoming branches.

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  16. Your garden looks pretty with it's covering of snow. The different leaf shapes are works of art.

    How neat that you get to see that lovely stained glass window from your gardens.

    FlowerLady

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.