What to do while it's melting

Things are beginning to melt!  The snow pack right now in the pasture measures 12 inches, down from 17 inches last week.  I can just make out the shapes of my raised beds in the hill garden, and my water feature is marked by a divot in the snow.  Under the mulberry tree, daffodils are beginning to poke through the soil.

 

 

The second sowing of impatiens is going well with about 95% germination.  The chili plants are hanging in there, but one variety still has very puckered leaves.  I've been battling fungus gnats and white flies for a few months now, and it's making me crazy.  No more over-wintering herbs from the garden.

I've mentioned that I am fascinated by the practice of planting bulbs in pots and overwintering them.  I have two sets of pots planted - one stored in the shed that I cannot get to right now thanks to the snow, and one set stored in the basement.  The ones in the basement were tucked in a dark corner on the cement floor.  My basement is heated and I keep it at 48F through the winter, which may have worked against me.  The allium in the pots started sprouting about a month ago, which was much too soon to put the pots outside.  I had to bring them upstairs into the house and on warm days I do set them out.  I have a feeling the allium won't bloom because it's really thin and leggy and just doesn't seem robust enough, but time will tell.  The daffodils and tulips planted with them are just starting to poke through the soil.  I'm going to consider this set a mostly failed experiment as I think the basement is just too warm for overwintering bulbs.  I'm eager to see what's going on in the bigger pots out in my shed, which I should be able to get to soon.

Another plant I overwintered in the basement was my lemongrass.  I took it upstairs about a week ago when I noticed a thick white fungus growing near the base of it.  I think I may have over-watered the last time, which may have caused this.  I scraped the fungus/mold off the plant, set it in the sun for a few hours, then chopped the leaves back even more and brought it inside.  In the entire clump, there are about 3 leaves that have some green showing.  This may also be a failed experiment, but we'll see.

 The south-facing front of the house is well thawed, and the bulbs I planted last fall are already growing like crazy.  

My little Witch Hazel spent most of the winter plowed under a snow bank, but it's poked through now and is trying its level best to show off some spring blooms.

And my ginger plants are coming along. 

The little fox has been back quite a few times and did manage to catch a grey squirrel.

The lone Tom turkey has been joined by four comely hens.

And a single raven has been trying to steal the crow food.  There have been a few airborne battles, which are spectacular to watch, but I feel sorry for the big raven.  He does manage to get a few bits of kibble now and again.  He's heavier than the crows and keeps sinking into the snow, so he'll propel himself upward with a few flaps of his wings and settle back down.

 

Soon that ocean of white will be a sea of green...I'm looking forward to it.

stop, start, stop, start, stop, start

 This final push is probably the most frustrating; there are long periods of inactivity followed by a day or two of activity.  Drywall mud needs to dry and cure, which means hurry up and wait.

So for days 71 through 74 the contractor completed the exterior siding, finishing Mom's side of the house and replacing her old attic window.  It looks great.  The builder told me this was the first house he'd ever sided completely alone, so kudos to him.

He also put up my piece that is supposed to break up all that dead space on my peak; it's difficult to make out, but it's a metal piece with the phases of the moon and a honey bee cut out design.  After he put it up I was thinking it didn't look quite right, then the next day I realized that was because it's not meant to be up against the house, it's supposed to sit off the background just a little.  We'll address that at another time, but I think that adding some spacers will make it a little more dramatic, and easier to see the design.

The drywall crew returned for a day and a half, so days 75 and some of 76 were mud and tape days.  The heaters are going constantly, and the humidity is ridiculous in there.  It gave my first photo that Liz Taylor Closeup Haze...

kitchen

bedroom closet

stairwell

mud room

The entire house looks like that.  It's actually kind of pretty, like a repeating pattern.  Once the mudding is complete, it's on to the paint.  Everything is going to be white.  I'm a huge fan of the KISS principle; keep it simple, stupid.  White is easier to touch up and it allows me to easily change decor to achieve whatever look I might want.  Plus, I hate painting.  With a passion.  I don't ever want to have to repaint a room because I don't like the color anymore.

I've also picked out my cabinets (white, surprise!), which will be ready in a couple weeks.  I almost went with grey, but the color was too close to the flooring shade, and after an internet search of grey cabinets with butcher block countertops I was not impressed.  I definitely think white brings out the warmth of the wood.

In garden  news, Mom and I just watch the documentary Kiss the Ground, which I highly recommend if you're at all interested in soil conservation or just seeing how we can improve our farming techniques rather than destroy entire swaths of fertile ground.  It's pretty amazing.

I also ordered a packet of ornamental heirloom corn to plant.  I've never grown corn before, so this will be a good test.  I'm just growing it in hopes of getting even a few ears and some stalks for Mom to be able to use in her autumn decorations...we'll see.  If all goes well, maybe I'll try some sweet corn next year.  If it's half as successful as my onions were, it may become a staple.

Addendum

 I forgot to post a photo of the pasture side of the house all sided and purdy lookin'!

I'm debating whether or not to paint the cement white or leave it as is.  Maybe I can try my hand at veneer and put some stone up?  

That sounds like something I could screw up beyond belief...

In other non-house news, we've had a bobcat wandering through every week or so.  What a gorgeous animal; I have to wonder if it's the same one I photographed a few years ago.  This cat is pretty big, though.  You can just barely make it out in the center of this photo:

I'm hoping to be lucky enough to get a photo of it when it's in the open.

...and even more siding...

 That's all that's been happening days 60 through 64, but daaaaaang.

Yup.  Lovin' it. 

and more siding...

 Days 57 through 59 have been siding days, which means it's warmed up.  Well...a little.  It's over 32*F at least, but next week we'll be headed back into another cold snap, so I'm not sure how much will get finished.  

The builder also explained "line of sight" to me.  Whichever direction is the one that most people would view a house side is the "line of sight".  This dictates the direction in which vinyl siding goes up and overlaps, creating a seamless look.  If you look at it from the opposite direction, you definitely see the seams.  

Know what I mean, Vern?

But the back of the main addition is fully sided and I'm quite pleased.  

Siding!

 Days 51 through 54 were yet more plumbing and heating and piping and whatnot...zzzzzzzzzz.  But on day 53 the siding was delivered, and on day 54 the builder began to side the house.  

I'm loving the color, and I'm glad I went with Dutchlap over clapboard.  I wish it came in a wider board like the original siding on Mom's house, but I'm happy with how this looks.  The builder also put up the header for an eventual deck.  

On Friday temperatures took a tumble to single digits and outside work was put on hold until it warms up a little.