Will it ever stop?!?

We woke up this morning to half an inch of snow. The sun peeked out and melted a lot of it, but it's looking like snow showers for most of the morning today (as I write this another shower has blown in from the north). The UPS man dropped off our HotKaps yesterday (we have 1000, want to buy some?), so we'll be able to plant soon, but jeez, the white stuff is really taking its time leaving town this year.

Getting ready to plant...but patience is important!

Jerry's greenhouse is full of cabbage, tomatoes, and bok choy, as well as peppers, strawberries, and flowers. Everything's looking healthy and really eager to get into the ground, but the Weather Service is calling for a mix of rain and snow tomorrow! The past few days have been just awesome, weather-wise - sunny and high sixties/low seventies. Yesterday was very warm and almost humid. Today you can tell the weather's changing, since it's very breezy, though still sunny for now. Here's the forecast for the next few days:

Tuesday: A slight chance of rain showers between 11am and 5pm, then a slight chance of snow showers after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 49. Windy, with a west wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to between 25 and 30 mph. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday Night: Scattered snow showers, mainly between 11pm and 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Windy, with a west wind 25 to 30 mph decreasing to between 15 and 20 mph. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

...and back to sunny days on Thursday. Later this week hard-working Jerry will be levelling the field and setting out rows for the plants as well as the corn seeds. Below he is standing in front of the frame where the bok choy is being hardened off. Hi Jerry!

Happy Earth Day

Snow and cold temperatures continue to dominate Surprise Valley, but the snow doesn't stay long, and there are breaks of several hours. We're happy that there is some precipitation, and there is plenty of time to get ready for the planting. Last weekend, after Friday's snow had melted and before Saturday's snow fell, Jerry brought the big tractor and disc'd the land to smooth it out - he went back and forth, crissed and crossed, and crissed again. We figured that every square foot of land got gone over about 7 times. There were only a few rocks, and as you can see, the land is like ground up chocolate. Or coffee grounds, fresh-roasted. Delicious. Don't you just want to dive in and swim around in it?

This morning I discovered a big old squirrel hole at the base of the baby cherry cox apple tree. I don't know if it's too early to consider it a casualty, but I imagine that the squirrels and bunnies are going to be a big challenge this year (as well as the deer, of course). Coincidentally, I just got a scope on my 10/22. Wonder what I'll be shooting at.

A Beautiful Day

Today was a beautiful spring day, sunny and warm - a welcome taste of what's to come, though this weekend the weather service is calling for snow again! As Jerry says, one day it will just be summer. That day has definitely not arrived yet, and there's still a nip in the air. Today was dedicated to burning some of the brush and sticks that have accumulated around the property over the winter (as I went further afield, I dreamed of putting together a nice number of bonfire piles), and to getting the closer-in beds planted in flowers. The "house" veggies -- those not planted in the field itself, but rather planted around the Hornet's Nest -- are sprouting in the garden window. and should be ready for planting in a week or two. The first wildflowers of the season are happily basking in the sun, and the water is flowing nicely. There's plenty of work to do, but the ground is soft and moist and the world seems welcoming, forgiving, and gentle.

A Snowy Day

After a sunny, almost summery morning and a blustery afternoon, it started to snow around suppertime yesterday, and now there's a quickly-melting inch or so of snow on the ground. There's impatience in the air and the plants and animals are really ready for more of that lovely warm weather we got last weekend. I guess there won't be a lot of planting and digging today, but we have plenty of paperwork and planning to do - the planting plan for the farm, as well as experimental plantings of herbs, hops, and the kitchen garden. I might even start to haul the greenhouse out of the trailer where it has been for the past few years.

The Transfarmation has begun!

The field has had its first breakup - a week ago, Jerry pushed over the deerbrush and chisel-plowed the acre or two we'll be farming. He, Nini, and Tong also moved a bunch of irrigation pipe in. On Monday, Surprise Valley Electric came and turned the power to the pump - and the meter immediately started running. The theory is that there is a short into the ground somewhere (the wire to the pump is just buried, no conduit or anything). Hopefully Derk will be able to take a look at it soon and fix us up. On Wednesday it snowed, and yesterday it was close to 80 degrees. The poor apples really needed to be planted, so they were: to the south of the house the Hauer Pippin (from the Santa Cruz Mountains) and Ashmead's Kernel; to the north a Spitzenberg (Jefferson's favorite); in the turnaround a Cherry Cox; and at the edge of the field, welcoming those who walk down what will be the steps to the farm, Benjamin Franklin's favorite, the Newtown Pippin. All are certified organic grafts on M-7A rootstock. Thank you, Pinney, for the gift of the apple trees! The soil was so beautiful - dark, rich and loose like coffee grounds. I woke a few worms up, but I don't think I cut any in half with my shovel. I felt like there should be some ritual to accompany the planting of the trees -- it seems like such a tangible statement of faith in the future. I didn't have a ritual handy, so I just welcomed them all to the ranch and wished them luck in their new homes. I also planted 2 red and one golden raspberry - those are going to be delicious, but the occasion, while a positive one, did not feel as solemn and auspicious as the tree planting. After the heat wave of the weekend the weather service is calling for snow today and tomorrow. Hopefully this will not kill the trees, which have already started to bud. Then again, maybe it will kill some of the mosquitoes, which are out in force. Ah yes, nothing like a skeeter bite on top of a sunburn.

We're getting some interesting people contacting us about WWOOFing, which is great. Their visit should be an adventure for one and all. I wonder which of them will actually make it to the farm?