Morning Walk

On my walk this morning I found several new types of bulbs blooming.

First was the iris.  They were flat on the ground and much darker than the photo shows.

Next was a small yellow buttercup-type flower which I later identified as an Eranthis.

And just around the corner I found the first daffodils.

And They're Off!!

The very first vegetable crop has been sowed.  I put up a netting fence down the center of the bed with garlic and planted Cascadia snap peas next to it.  I sprinkled some inoculant in trench row before planting, then put wet seeds in and covered it all up.  The soil temperature is around 48 degrees, so they should be fine.  I also planted some sweet peas at the southeast corner of the deck.  I'm hoping they'll climb up the lattice panels we plan to put up there.

Yesterday on a walk I spotted my first snow drops.

And this morning at the bird store there was a red-flowering currant very close to blooming.  Mine is just starting to show buds.

Birds

After a winter of mostly juncos, we are now starting to see some new birds.  We've had a male Townsend's warbler off an on for about a month, but now he's coming more often and bringing a mate.  They have both been here a lot today, foraging on the ground as well as hitting the tube feeder and the suet.  And this afternoon we had a lesser goldfinch pair.

Sunshine!

Today was a gorgeous sunny day.  Our high was 56.  In the morning I finished moving the soil from the driveway into my new raised beds.  The amount was just right. One unit.

And here's my helper.  He claims a back injury.  How convenient!

We decided to have lunch on the deck.  It was a little chilly, but the sun on our backs was heavenly.

Happiness Is...

Driving down 13th Street and noticing that 13th Street has re-opened.  Hooray!!  They had a Daphne odora, which I had decided that I needed.  It will go beside the front door.

And I couldn't pass up the Jacob Hellebore.  Not sure yet where it will go, somewhere in the shade.

Today I had a unit (seven cubic yards) of Power Plant Mix from Highway Fuel delivered.  Over the next few days (weeks?!) I will move it to the back to fill my new raised vegetable beds.

Still at It

The nest material wreath went back up this morning.  This afternoon the squirrel was back.  There is almost no animal hair left on it, but he managed to find a small wad and tried to pull it off from the top.  He wasn't having much success, so I put the wreath back on the ground.  After a while he was back and I think finished it off.  The only material left is the excelsior that makes up the base, the yarn that held everything together, and a few little snips of yarn that I had added.

I guess the birds are out of luck.

Nesting Time

This afternoon we decided it was time to put up the wreath of nesting materials for the birds.  About an hour later, a squirrel had it on the ground and was tearing it apart.  He (she?) seems to be building a drey high in our fir tree.  He's been collecting leaves for a couple of days, but he really hit the jackpot with the wreath.  He crammed his mouth full of what appears to be dog fur and raced up the tree, only to return thirty seconds later for another wad.

Later in the afternoon I hung what was left of the wreath back up.

We'll see if he comes back tomorrow for more goodies.

A Honeybee

Yesterday we went for a walk and found these crocuses in the neighborhood, one with a honeybee inside.

We've started doing a little yard work.  Today we did some deadheading - gaillardia, liatris, coreopsis.  We've leaving the sedums for now (still look neat) and yarrow (the bushtits are still feeding on them).