Sunny, warmer, and when working in the sun, almost hot.
Photos by Sue
Lucy helped?
Three little hazelnuts in our front yard, and in Vi and Anna’s—bald cypress, pussy willow, speckled alder, and swamp white oak. If even some survive, our yards will be more interesting and beneficial.
…the compost.
Bin three over the side—about a good wheelbarrow full—to be used for various purposes. Bin two over into bin three. Tomorrow, bin one (this year’s detritus) over into bin two. And then we start over with bin one. Quite an astonishing amount of material goes into bin one. And what comes out of bin three is sweet, fluffy black, and useful.
Still very windy, and when the sun occulted by cloud, quite chilly.
Moisture-laden wind roaring down from Lake Superior, soaking and chilling everything in its path.
…luckily this is a day in April, not May, because it’s cold. May would never tolerate a steady, cold, rain all day like this. (But the blossoms are lasting a good long time. )
…cool day, partly sunny, but chilly afternoon. Okay for hardening off baby tomatoes.
Pretty close. Everything came together, and the timing worked out. The University student teachers were awesome. And for some odd reason the weather was perfect. Photos later.
The educational part followed the dedication program.
Prepping for tomorrow’s big Arb event—Welcome Center dedication and Schools Field Trip—and trying to remember what, among the infinite details, I forgot to get ready.
Pussy willow
Serviceberry
Also planted a a few native trees/shrubs including serviceberry, aronia, pussy willow, false indigo, and hemlock. When it comes to native plants, as a recent convert, I do have to practice what I preach.
…of Tree Talk with Maddie’s class.
…at Maddie’s class.
Great bunch of kids. Focus on binomial nomenclature, species, native species, and invasive species, and, on the overall benefit of trees. Fun for me, and for the kids too, I think. Ran out of time before we got to phenology.
…but still cold. Spring got a jump start, but the brakes have been applied.
Serviceberry (shadbush, saskatoon) in full bloom (and with the cold the bloom will last). Tomatoes tiny, but still way too soon to plant, so might be ready when the time is right.
A few bladdernuts left (good tree, bad name), and a smattering of a few other species. Business slow today, but, overall, we made a profit and have some nice things to plant in the Arb. Did I mention that it was cold, gray, and damp this morning, with an emphasis on the cold?
Official photos not yet ready for publication.
In spite of cold and snow, customers came out. From 200 trees to 20. In one day. Not much inventory for tomorrow. Lots of interest in natives, which is good. Photos tomorrow.
…trees sorted by species, color-code tagged, and ready for sale. We were accidentally shorted pawpaw and witch hazel, but the nursery will drop ship all that we sell.
Last year we had 150 offerings and sold out. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Tomorrow’s forecast is cloudy and very cool. But nothing like last year when icy rain attacked us sideways.
Here’s what we have to offer: Tree Sale But not the ironwood—this year’s crop experienced a bad winter and did not survive.
Brutal drive. Towed a heavy trailer down to the far south side of Chicago (almost to Indiana) to pick up 200 trees from Possibility Place, a top-of-the-line nursery dealing only in native midwest species. Very windy with tornado watches all the way. Found tulips in bloom on return home. Tree sale Saturday and Sunday.
And from Manitoulin friend Therese, a view of today from a different locale:
…and 3 hour power outage, delaying things, such as dinner. Morning meeting with the City to plan a dedication ceremony, and to work on interpretive signage for the new pavilion. (Sample below. )
Sunny and warmer. White well gone. Grass could actually use a mow.
Photo from about a week ago. Right now daffodils giving way to tulips.
Backyard busy with birds: downies, robins, nuthatches, sparrows, robins, cardinals, jays, and right now, a robin almost at my feet.
Awful weather, cold and very windy. But, optimistically, soon gone.
Snow on magnolia.
The spring sun
Shows its power
Between snowfalls.
—Shigeyoki
On the drive south from Door County we took the lakeshore route, primarily to revisit Algoma and Kewaunee, ports of call previously visited by boat.
The fog was thick.
But this Algoma coffeeshop was amazing. Sometimes you just stumble across something beyond expectation.
Fog not quite as thick in Kewaunee, but still an interesting old town, at one time the first ferry terminal for cross Lake Michigan travel.
Kewaunee is also the last resting place of the huge tug Ludington, which, before my time, helped with the D-day invasion of Normandy.
…after a presentation, and a little book selling, at the Ridges Nature Center in Bailey’s Harbor. With Tig illustrator Tom. Fun, though my penmanship when signing books is atrocious.
New shelves for a huge collection.
Scrabble on the patio
On break from mountain biking
And, Happy Birthday, Katy!
