Some days, we wake up in the clouds

Yesterday, the fog was below us, visible in the view toward the main road. Today we have no view beyond our immediate neighbors' homes.


The sourwood shows its characteristically craggy shape as a silhouette in the center of this frame. We usually view it about like this - this picture is taken from the deck, but we can't see the top or bottom of the close-in trees from inside the house.



The next photo shows the view across our slope toward the neighbors' house. A few small green flags mark possible locations for future landscaping. (Click on the picture for a larger view.) Additional flags are located to the right and lower on the slope. The area shown was the location of the old logging road. Our excavator restored the slope to something more like its natural shape when he filled over the septic field (out of view to the right in this photo). Two additional pines below the three we had planted two years ago, then some redbuds, dogwood, rhododendron and other natives will continue to fill in and continue the slope restoration process.

The second photo at this link - with Cheryl and Dorry standing on a pile of rocks - is approximately the same view, taken the summer our house excavation had just begun. A small red flag marked a deck corner in that photo.

We won't try to add all the new plants at once - our pressure tank system doesn't have enough pressure to get much water out there to the far side of the property. We have been using rain barrel water and a separate pump to water the small pines. If this is a dry summer, we would have a difficult time giving all the planned trees and shrubs enough moisture to get established.

Every Spring is Unique

After enjoying temperatures in the 70's, we suffered a sudden drop last night - but since it didn't dip as far as freezing, all the blooms are still healthy looking.

We featured this early flowering rhododendron with Chester the Chainsaw Bear the last two years. Last year we saw no flowers on it until early April. This year, like 2009, it was attracting pollinators in March.


In contrast, the traditional versions are a long way from fulfilling their Rhododendron Destiny, but they are showing promise.


Our backyard Autumn Ferns must have liked this relatively mild winter and are already lush and green. This view shows how they are helping us transform the mulch desert into a prettier spot, though we usually only visit long enough to hook up the rain barrels for watering.
A few weeks ago, when Norris was away on business, Moki apparently lost her mind. She couldn't stand to look at Lu. She would hiss, growl, spit, flail with open paws, then scurry away to hide. Meanwhile, poor Lu had gotten so he would avoid even looking at her for fear of starting the violent behavior. Moki struck out in fear at Cheryl when she would innocently walk by her in one of her hidey-holes. The other night, Norris captured our newly contented Moki, relaxed and asking Lu to wash her ears. We've been treating her favorite sleeping spots with a product containing cat pheromones, which made an overnight improvement in her attitude. (this time, clicking on the photo will not give you a larger view, as the original was fuzzy)
It's good to have peace in the household again.

Yesterday's news

The fire reported in our last post was under control within a half hour, and the additional crews that had been brought in from neighboring fire districts were released by the Forest Service a couple of hours ago. The Reems Creek people are still working at it, burning off the "unspent fuel" in the now contained area. Norris may get back to the Valley in time to help with the equipment cleanup. The firefighters are probably tired - but someone just let them know how their team is playing in the tournament today via radio.

The lull gives us an opportunity to post some photos Cheryl took of the neighborhood yesterday afternoon.

First, our timid Moki has been interested in a little outdoor exploration, but she was ready to go back in the house after only a few minutes. She does not tolerate a leash like Lu does.


On to signs of spring - Norris is viewing lots of blooms where his class is being held but our season is a little behind due to our elevation, and we have no early bulbs. But here's a healthy crop of day lilies, transplants from a neighbor that are doing well.


We have a small grove of pines growing in the road cut under the tall ones that weathered the snows better this year than last -



We are happy to see them thriving - one of the three tall pines just behind them was ailing when we moved into the house, and is now completely dead - the tall top on the left in this next photo. We'll miss it - the young ones will take a long time before they reach a similar height.

The American Beech understory all around us is fading prettily, and the leaves are starting to litter the forest floor - it really resembles the look of the dogwoods yet to come.
The micro climates in the cove are remarkable - here's a forsythia in full flower in front of the log cabin tucked off the main development road.


The next photo shows Bradford pears in a shaded area along the same road - down near the forsythia where they get sun, these same trees are covered in blooms.


More pears, these up the slope from the ones above, but also not shaded at all.

Fire on the Mountain

Norris has been attending a class at the largest fire-training event in the state this weekend, so he's missing what appears to be the largest brush fire we've seen in the neighborhood. About five or ten minutes ago, they estimated it involved 1-2 acres, but just now that was revised to 5-6 acres, with a warning that the winds are active. The man on scene just made the optimistic observation that the logging road will give them good access to the affected area with the All-Terrain vehicle.


This photo was taken with the telephoto lens - more smoke is now coming from behind the ridge that is sloping up to the left.

Interestingly, just last night, Norris and Cheryl watched a 1958 Robert Mitchum classic called Thunder Road that was filmed in the Reems Creek valley on the very road where this is happening.

Four able-young-workers

Four is the number it's taking to clear the dead debris and leaves from our back yard and wildflower meadow, getting ready for some new ideas for landscaping the front and side of our property. (three of them are clustered in the distance in this photo - click on it to see a larger version if you can't make them all out.)


They are just back from lunch, but they've been at it with multiple weedwackers and rakes for maybe three hours and they have a lot yet to do.

Younger than us though these workers are, you still occasionally see them teeter on the brink of hitting the dirt, or sliding with arms flailing as they regain their footing -- just trying to explain why we're paying for this and not doing it ourselves. Last year we had them clear out the noxious Multiflora Rose in the distant area. Although we worked diligently early in the season to keep the thorny plants at bay, it was hard and dangerous for us, and they don't call them "invasives" for nothing. By June when the nastier insects started to be present, our efforts were overtaken. One aspect of the new landscaping will be more native trees and shrubs where this is not actually septic field, and the beginnings of some new paths that people carrying tools can use to gain safer access to the slope.

View from our deck this morning

A surprise return to winter for a day brings the rime ice to the other side of our valley.