An-Ti-Ci-Pation!

Don't get too excited just yet ... these are photos from last Spring (early and mid-April), previews of coming attractions if you will ... but I'm cautiously optimistic that the real show may start sometime this week. We have a real warm up forecast for this week, with temperatures up into the low 70s for Monday, the 60s and 50s for the rest of the week, and as long as there's ample sunshine, this should encourage our early spring bulbs to start performing. At least I hope so! Our basket of bulbs has long since faded and the couple of clumps of snowdrops we currently have just aren't enough yet! I'm more than ready to start shooting my Crocus close ups, Mr. DeMille.....

This first shot is one of our ever dwindling, but lovely, dwarf Iris ... years ago we planted about 20 of these in various spots in the garden and though they are reputed to be hardy to our zone, they have gradually disappeared over the years, much to our disappointment. They are truly a Spring Ephemeral, because when they do show up and bloom, they rarely last much more than a week before vanishing. I wonder if the two that showed up last year out back (by the snowdrop clumps featured previously) will return this year ... I hope so, but given their history at Casa IVG, that's far from a sure thing. They certainly are beautiful aren't they? We'd like to try more of them, but given their track record, we wonder whether they are worth the effort and expense ... there seem to be certain plants that just refuse to grow for us (Hardy Cyclamens for example!), but if you've been successful with these Dwarf Iris, please let us in on the secret, because we'd love to have them around in masses!

This Giant Dutch Crocus ('Pickwick') should look familiar ... it's the same variety that came planted in the bulb basket we got for Valentine's Day and I shot these as they were beginning to open last April 13. We have small groupings of this variety sprinkled about in the front garden, mixed in with other varieties ... in the coming weeks, I hope to be able to capture lots of "bouquets" to share with my readers as the Spring show really gets into gear around here. We're hoping this year will be especially colorful with all the (300) new crocus Fernymoss planted last fall, along with the other new bulbs and of course, our old reliables. We're hoping for a miraculous resurrection of our tulip stock, but that may just be wishful thinking, given how few returned last year, but where we lost over a hundred tulips, other gardeners lost masses of Daffodils and ours were unfazed, so we hope they have been busy naturalizing and will be back bigger and better than ever!

I don't recall exactly what this variety of Crocus is called, but it's one of the snow crocus mix we've planted twice (in 2005 and 2008), and for want of a better name, I just call them "Butter Crocus" because they have such a luscious buttery color to them. So far they've been excellent little naturalizers and this particular clump has grown from a single bulb planted back in 2005, so I'm anxious to see how many friends they bring back with them this year ... I have these planted in several spots with other colored Crocus and they look great in with some of the purple or tricolored ones, and as you can see here, they look lovely all by themselves as well!

Now I can definitively identify this particular Giant Dutch Crocus, it's "Jeanne d'Arc" and despite its simplicity, I think it's a really pretty flower ... the only thing I could criticize is that they seem particularly delicate and often succumb to high winds by losing their petals much more easily than the other Giant Crocus, so when they bloom, you have to really enjoy them while you can. Given the often gusty and even violent winds we get in March and April, they are often the first victims of weather events. But they are lovely additions to Crocus plantings and look especially striking mixed in with the purple and golden varieties ... again, we have these scattered here and there out front so look forward to seeing more of them as Spring progresses ... provided it arrives on time!

As I was perusing the archives preparing this post, I ran across this shot that I thought I'd throw in just for fun ... these are the initial shoots of one of our more unusual plants we have in the Woodland Garden. For regular readers, this will probably be obvious, but I'll just call it a "mystery plant" for now, in case there are any uninitiated viewers of this plant still out there. Of particular note is the multiple shoots coming up around the base of this plant, and I think we counted at least 5 that came up and leafed out last season, so we're wondering if we'll get multiple blooms from them this year, and if we do, wow that will be spectacular! If you already know what this plant is, I'm sure you're just as excited at that possibility as we are! In any case, we'll all know sometime in June, around the time the peonies bloom....

And now for the puppy portion of this post! Hanna had quite the active weekend that started with her first visit to the vet late Friday afternoon ... we had thought that she was completely up to date on her vaccinations, but found out that she needed a couple of boosters and a heartworm test, so we had those done while she got her first exam from Dr. B. Her overall exam was excellent and she's in excellent health, which was a relief to hear from Dr. B. We also had her vaccinated for bordatella ("kennel cough") as a precaution since she had suffered a bout of that while we were waiting to adopt her, and Dr. B said that smaller breeds like her were particularly susceptible to kennel cough, so she had her first dose and goes back in two weeks for the second dose, after which she'll be totally up to date. Everyone at the clinic thought she was a charming little pup and quite spirited (she was quite vocal about some of the other dogs coming and going in the office, which embarrassed us a bit!), but she cooperated quite well and made a positive impression I think....
Today Hanna got to make another trip to Petco which she thoroughly enjoyed because she got to peruse the toy aisles, and though she didn't get to pick this new one out herself, she has been really having fun with it since we got home. We've realized that we have to get the toughest rubber toys for her because otherwise she just destroys regular squeaky toys way too fast and the tough stuff is what suits her at this point where she still wants to chew on things. Fortunately, she does limit her chewing to her own toys and not other things, but we really have to pick out things that she can really abuse without too much damage. As you can see, this "spiny bone" has little pockets for hiding treats, so of course we had to try those out with her tonight ... as with her Kongs, it only took her about 15-20 miinutes to get the treats out ... she has an uncanny way of figuring out these puzzles quickly and getting to the goodies, but even after getting the treats she spent most of the evening playing with her new toy as you can see in these two shots. So she now adds this to her two Kongs and the "tickle bone" she plays with daily, along with the "invincible chain" we use to play tug of war with her, but have to take away when done because she tries to demolish it and eat it ... good for play time, but it goes up when we're done so she's not ingesting bits of rubber. This little dog has some powerful jaws!

We also got her a crate today ... regretfully, I must say, but when the few times we've had to leave her alone, she has gotten into trouble by herself, so for her own good (and ours) we got a crate to put her in when we can't take her with us or I have to be gone during the day. I have to go to work meetings a few times a month and am gone for several hours and last week when I was gone for about 3 hours, she made quite a mess of the house by spreading potting soil (from some dead plants) all over the downstairs and chewing up a cardboard box ... that was the final test for trust (she failed), so today we got a crate we have set up in the dining room and so far she seems fine with going in and out of it ... we'll see how she reacts when we have to put her in it when we can't take her with us ... hopefully when she's a bit older and wiser, we won't have to resort to this tactic. But it's clear that she's familiar with being crated before, so she may not object too much ... we'll find out! Such are puppy challenges and as easy as Hanna has been so far, we realize that we still have to work with her on establishing trust when we're gone... it all goes along with having a terrier (mix) and if I were to recount some of Pepa's early exploits, they'd far eclipse what Hanna has pulled so far ...but then, she turned out so very well, so it's just a matter of getting through the 'ornery' phase, and Hanna is doing very well so far! I'd say give her a year or so and we should be able to skip the crate ... but we'll see! In any case, she's here to stay. She's been such a great addition to the family, we couldn't see not having her around ... we just have to accommodate the puppy phases! And for anyone who has ever had a terrier, this probably sounds familiar ... Pepa was a holy terror the first year or so and Hanna has yet to equal those exploits, so we're confident she'll be fine in the long run ...after all, she was Pepa approved (in my dream) so I'm not going to worry about it!

The Snowdrops Have Finally Arrived!

Some tentative signs of spring have finally arrived in our neighborhood ... at least the first snowdrops have broken the ground! Actually these clumps (in the far back garden where it's much sunnier than out front) first emerged on February 25 (the first two shots) and were promptly buried again by snow and then that torrential rain-hail event we had the day after that. But, true to their tough reputation, they persevered and are now entering into full bloom.
This first shot shows the flowers just breaking through the surface and beginning to unfold their leaves .. I first thought these might be crocus, but closer examination revealed that no, these were indeed Snowdrops. This particular clump has migrated a bit from the original planting and appears to be doing quite nicely spreading out around the area. We're glad to see them gradually forming more small drifts of flowers each spring, which is precisely what we wanted them to do over time. These were some of the very first bulbs we planted over 8 years ago and every year we're thrilled to see them arrive and bring more of their friends with them, because where Snowdrops are concerned, the more the merrier! We'd love to plant several more big masses of them, but for some reason, Snowdrops are a very pricey bulb for such a small flower ... averaging just under a dollar a piece, which seems inordinate to me, but hey I don't set the prices. Maybe one of these days we'll find a mega sale on them and we can plant them everywhere, but for now, we just have 3 areas where they grow, out back where these are, in the Primrose bed and a few in our original bulb bed by the sidewalk. Fernymoss told me today that the ones out front are just beginning to come up, so I should have photos of those soon!
Here's the more developed clump ... as you can see the flowers are just beginning to emerge from their stems ... then nasty weather hit for two days (Snow, Rain, Hail!) and I was afraid to go check on their progress (besides it was like a lake in the backyard!) until late last week.
Friday I could tell from the window that they were indeed blooming now, so after work I headed out (swamp and all) and took some pictures ... They're coming along quite nicely now! I'm glad to see them finally arrive, and given the chilly weather we're due to have this week, I think they'll stick around for a while. Snowdrop blooms can last quite a while as long as the weather doesn't turn off hot (fat chance of that here right now!), so they should be around long enough to join the crocus when they finally get going, so look forward to much more of them together.

Honestly, I'm getting really impatient for the crocus to appear! Both of us have been scouring areas of the gardens where they will come up and haven't seen a single sign of them yet ... I think it's going to take a few days of really nice, sunny weather to spur them along, but when they pop, we're looking forward to a veritable explosion of crocus!

And yes, I'm a bit antsy about that ... I've had more than my fill of winter and all its "bugs" that have been hitting me all winter long! Last Tuesday-Thursday I was hit with yet another intestinal bug that gave me intense and very painful stomach cramps along with everyone's favorite, vomiting as well. Tuesday and Wednesday night were miserable and I could hardly sleep at all and it was Friday night before I had much solid food other than saltines and toast, but finally I was able to work my way back to some scrambled eggs. Oddly enough, at some indeterminate point on Friday afternoon, I suddenly felt all better, so apparently that particular nasty bug finally decided to exit my system. Thanks for leaving, and please don't come back will ya? It seems like I've had every single thing that has come through town this winter and have been sick off and on since Christmas, and I think I deserve a break! Anyway, I hope you helped yourself to the cheese while I whined there....
Ok, excuse me, but I still can't resist precious puppy moments ... here's Hanna from Friday night as we were watching John Waters' A Dirty Shame ... obviously this one didn't capture her interest any more than Wallace and Gromit the previous week. I guess she's just not a movie dog, though she has shown some interest in The Dog Whisperer and a few Animal Planet shows we've watched recently, mostly because they had barking dogs in them, I think. But then she had played really hard with Lacey several times Friday night and I think at the point I took this shot, they had both been played out and Hanna didn't even twitch when I took a whole series of her ... she was totally out to lunch, curled up in a ball and didn't move until we got ready to head upstairs....Actually she pulled a funny stunt last night after she got all wound up playing with Lacey (who then tired and quit playing) ... she started tearing around the room at breakneck speed, running behind all the curtains, couch and furniture multiple times before sailing across the living room toward the couch ... she made a minor miscalculation in jumping and rammed head on into the base of the couch! She paused briefly, as if saying, "I meant to do that!," then jumped up on the couch and curled up. We were both cracking up because it was such a classic cartoonish moment, one that made me think of Pee Wee Herman on his bike. It's moments like those that make us savor every silly puppy moment she gives us ... she's such a happy energetic pup who really knows how to live in the moment. I think in that respect she has a lot to teach us. It's rarely a dull moment with Hanna around!

Well, Lacey went home today and it's much quieter (and oddly more spacious) around here now. I'm sure Lacey is home now, relishing the peace and quiet without a crazy puppy pestering her to play at every instant ... she's such a patient and loving dog. I do think the two of them did bond somewhat over the week or so we had Lacey around and by last night they were even snuggling up together briefly, but the best thing was that there were no spats or too much jealousy exhibited. We're just hoping that Hanna filed away those good puppy tips Lacey had to pass on to her ... I think she will. She's a great little dog with a good start and learns so fast that we have really high hopes for her ... we just have to keep her busy and stimulated. Which reminds me, it's about time to play "find the treats" again ... it's a game we used to play with Pepa and Rolly ... very simple actually ... the dog must leave the room while we go around and plant bits of dog food in the room, out in plain sight, but odd places (windowsills, baseboards, ledges, etc.) then let Hanna back in, tell her to find the treats and she gets busy! The last time we played with her, it took her about an hour to find all the pieces (there were a lot) but she was a happy pup when she finished!

Now a few words about A Dirty Shame ...
Our Friday night dinner and a movie was purely escapist and frivolous, as only John Waters can deliver ... so this week's choice was easy ... when everything else sounds blah, delve into the Waters! I know many of you may not be familiar with John Waters, other than perhaps Hairspray, but he's been an obsession of mine for many years ... I've followed every film of his since Mondo Trasho, Multiple Maniacs and the infamous Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble since the late 1970's. I've watched with fascination how he's morphed into more "mainstream" filmmaking over the years with films such as Polyester, Hairspray, Cry Baby and Pecker, and have generally been pretty approving of these works, even if they strayed pretty far from his original radical épater le bourgeois ("outrage the bourgeois") type trash fests. With a couple of exceptions I find somewhat questionable, Serial Mom, Cecil B. Demented, I love his entire trashy oeuvre. (Did you know William S. Burroughs gave him the moniker of "Pope of Trash?")

Now, Waters' films are not for everyone. In fact they generally aim to offend, outrage and make you laugh at the absurdity of we silly humans. No obsession is spared, no fetish or foible is spared ... Waters lays it all out for ample mockery. If all you've seen is Hairspray (hopefully the Waters non-musical version), there's a whole world behind all of that awaiting you, and it's not always pretty, but it's funny as hell.

So ... it was with slavering anticipation that I awaited the arrival of A Dirty Shame back in 2004. Alas, this film got such a pitiful release (only in big cities) that it never made it to Des Moines, or else no one would book it, I'm not sure which. That was a pity, because this is perhaps the funniest Waters film in about 30 years, and is, in many ways, a throwback to his earlier, trashier and more jubilant films. I've always wondered if he had this idea filed away somewhere from way back because it seems like such a fit for his regulars such as Divine, Edie Massey, Mink Stole and the rest of the Dreamland crew of yore ... but no matter, how he finally brought this to the screen is brilliance. Casting the likes of Tracey Ullmann (that woman can do no wrong!), Johnny Knoxville and Chris Isaak, it had to be good!

The plot, quite simply, relates the war between the "sex addicts" and the "neuters," who engage in battle in modern day Baltimore, centering around the tawdry "Pack n'Sack" convenienence store run by Ullmann and Isaak. One morning, as Sylvia Stickles (Ullmann) heads to the store, she runs out of gas, gets out of her car and is whacked on the head by a passing vehicle, which leads a to life changing moment ... at that point she becomes a sex addict who is rescued by Ray Ray (Knoxville) and introduced to a whole new life diametrically opposed to her humdrum sex negative life. What follows is a compendium of sexual perversions and fetishes as we meet the various denizens of the sex addict community, all to hilarious results. Even Waters admits he doesn't think some of these are for real, but he just had to include them for comic effect.

So if you've ever been wondering what "Yodeling in the canyon" is, or a "double decker" or what a "plate job" is, this is the film that will reveal the answers for you. I've omitted a few of the more unsavory references (well, quite a few of them!) but this should give you a flavor of what's in store. It's all in good natured Watersian fun and if you approach this film with the right attitude, it should be a lot of fun (we got our requisite bellyaches of laughs as always). Obviously, if you have kids around the house, make sure they're fast asleep unless you want to be answering uncomfortable questions for quite some time! "Daddy, why is that guy eating dirt?" "Why is that man dressed up like a baby?" "Why is that woman's crotch burning?"

Thankfully, dogs don't ask those kinds of questions.

More Bulbular Delights

After all the weather excitement of the other day, this weekend ended up being pretty quiet ... we did get an inch or so of snow from that storm Friday night (much less than predicted) and it's been pretty cold still, but nothing too dramatic. Just Ole Man Winter overstaying his welcome (as if he really ever had one!) a bit too long. And March entered quietly, if cold ... so who knows what that portends for the rest of the month. I'm still battling the residual effects of the double whammy flu-then-cold I had all February and wasn't worth much (again!) this weekend. Neither one of us has really been able to shake this persistent bug we've had and quite frankly, I'm quite tired of spending what little time off I have feeling lousy! Anyway, at least I awoke today to a cheery sight downstairs ... the tulips (which have been budding the past few days) opened up to their full glory today! The Hyacinth and Squill have been open a few days now ... perfuming the room nicely ... but the tulips were a real eye opener, and though there are still two more budding, the first three are quite lovely don't you think?
Fernymoss took these shots this morning as the sun was pouring into the kitchen and was able to really capture some firepower from the tulips. They're really a great shade of red, and have yellowish interiors and though they're a bit small, probably because they've been forced, they'll look fabulous once they're established out in the front garden! As you can see, the Narcissus have done their thing and the Crocus are now just a memory, but we should get at least another week or so out of the tulips, hyacinth and remaining white squill. I gave them a light feeding a week or so ago, and as soon as they are done, we'll just let them die back naturally and water lightly until the foliage is ready to go. Then we'll find them a nice spot out front where we can plant the whole arrangement when the ground thaws (if it ever does!) later this spring and hope for the best next year.... No matter what, we've really enjoyed having them brighten the house even during this brief period ... though they were a bit pricey, they were well worth it! Oh, and the Primrose I have in the kitchen window has stopped blooming for the moment, but is doing quite well with the sun it gets there, so it should be able to hang in there until it can join its cousins out in the primrose bed by the steps....
Well, little Princess Hanna has been getting used to having a visitor around the past few days (until March 9) ... Fernymoss' parents are on a trip so we have their wonderful big girl Lacey staying with us! Lacey is a fantastic dog, just sweetness and obedience personified, and we're hoping she'll pass on plenty of "good dog tips" to Hanna while she's here. Lacey is only eight, but really graying quickly (as you can see in the photo below) and I swear that every time I see her she has gotten grayer! No matter, she is still a pretty lively dog for her age and is a joy to have around the house, and sometimes she's so quiet that it's easy to forget she's even here! We think she finds Hanna a bit of a "pawful" because she is so insistent on wanting to play with her, but when Lacey's in the mood to play, she's been really accommodating and she and Hanna have had some vigorous wrestle and snarl (all in play) sessions. But when Lacey's done, she just sits down and refuses to play anymore and that's when we have to call Hanna off. But being the good pup she is, she cooperates and calms down quickly, and then both of them usually take a nap to rest up for the next round....
Here we have the two girls posing by the table in the dining room ... I like this shot because it gives a much better idea of just how small Hanna is in comparison to other dogs ... of course Lacey weighs about 100 pounds and is one hefty girl (whereas Hanna weighs less than 20 pounds!) but Hanna could care less ... she loves playing with the big dogs. She may be small, but she's in no way intimidated by the big dogs! It will be interesting to see how she does with Lacey here for an extended visit ... she has shown a bit of mild territorial "pique" at first and of course is jealous of any attention Lacey gets (which is plenty), but we figure she'll just have to get over herself, as her place at the pinnacle of the house here is well assured. We think it's just a good step in her continuing socialization with other dogs that will pay off in the future. After all, she is still a puppy and learning every day, but thanks to her foster mom, she has a great start on becoming the really great dog she has every indication of being ... and we're learning along the way as well, so the experience is good for all of us!
Over the past 6 weeks we've had Hanna with us, we nicknamed her "Hanna the flying banana" because of the way she positively sails around the house when she's wound up ... she can go airborne in an instant and when she goes up the stairs she usually skips the last 3 and flies right into the upstairs hall. So, when I took this shot (while she was on my lap!), I immediately envisioned her sailing through the air with her ears pinned back. She's quite the jumper and several times today I saw her jump higher than Lacey ... she's a real "boing boing" cartoon type dog who can go vertical in a heartbeat, and though it's fun to watch, it's something we know we have to work with her on, because not everyone likes having a dog flying through the air at them! But for the moment we are enjoying her displays of exuberance and to her credit, she does tend to limit them to greetings and being told it's time for "walkies" so we're being indulgent for now. I'm sure that as she matures more, she'll learn when it's ok behavior (Pepa did eventually, and when she was young she was an amazing jumper too... even into her later years) and mellow out a bit.

I think we're all just getting impatient for Spring to arrive and going a bit stir crazy being inside all the time ... I know I am! We can't wait for warmer weather to arrive for real because we have some great activities planned for Hanna ... we've decided that since she likes to jump so much, we'd work with her on some basic agility activities such as jumping the hoop and perhaps going through a tunnel ... we'll have to improvise (I've priced the equipment and it's expensive!) a bit, but we don't have any intentions of having her compete, we just want to help her burn off the puppy energy and have some fun! Fernymoss has even dreamed up a way to make a course of "weave poles" for her using bamboo stakes, so we'll see what we can come up with to make the back yard an agility course for her. She's got the potential to excel at agility, so we might as well take advantage of that while she's young and in her formative days.... And as a final aside, she recently had her first encounter with a bunny in the back, and she was NOT amused. If she hadn't been on the leash, who knows what that bunny would have experienced! True to terrier/corgi form, she will not suffer rodents gladly ... which is something we're happy to see in her. After all, that's something that has bonded terriers with humans for centuries ... the instinct to go after vermin, and it's a strong instinct we shouldn't (and probably can't) discourage. At least the bunnies are on notice from now on out that even if Pepa is gone, they're not in the clear!

A final movie plug: Friday night we introduced Hanna to Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit, mostly because we love that movie so much and we were curious as to what she'd think of it. Well, for Hanna it was pretty much a snooze-a-thon, but we enjoyed it as always! That film is so much fun on so many levels and every time we watch it, we get more of the the "in jokes" built into the script and background details. After all, you have to love a movie devoted to gardening and vegetables and battling bunnies ... and for me, the best smile comes from having a vegetable merchant named "Harvey's" with a giant carrot as their sign. I'm sure that kids under "a certain age" don't get the humor, but the reference to one of my favorite movies of all time always does it for me! If you haven't seen Wallace and Gromit, put it on your list and get ready for a veg-tastic time at the movies ... it's that good!

From Sunshine to Hail in One Day!

I think I'm going to stop getting excited and writing posts about warmish sunny days from now on, since it seems that every time I do, we get slammed with a nasty bout of weather the next day! Actually, it's not as if the big cool down was not expected ... in fact light rain was forecast for today and we knew the warm weather would not last, but honestly! Hail in February? I've been trying to remember if we've experienced that since we've lived here, and I can't come up with a single instance where we have gotten hail this early in the year. As storm systems go, this was quite a colorful one on radar ... stretching from South Dakota across Minnesota and down into Iowa in lovely (threatening) shades ranging from blue, magenta, red, yellow and green ... for storm afficionados, there was a little bit of everything in this system! All morning it was dreary and gray, but early this afternoon the skies turned extremely dark and downright spooky (e.g. it was a dark and stormy afternoon) and right about the time I had to dial into a weekly conference call for work, the sky really opened up and let loose with all sorts of nastiness ... first loud thunder and lightning, then torrential rain and hail, all pouring down at the same time for the next 45 minutes or so. Out the window of my "office" I could tell it was hailing, but little did I suspect what was really going on down there until my call ended ... it seemed like there was a lull in the rain, so I decided to take Hanna out in between storms ... we got as far as the back door, I opened it, she looked out at the pouring rain and came right back in. She was having none of that weather! So I went to the front of the house to get a better look and from the porch steps, this is what I saw.... (click to enlarge all photos)
Regular readers will probably recall that our particular intersection is prone to flooding during heavy rains in spring and summer, but this has to be a first for February as well ... we're used to heavy snows, but flooding? Nope. But of course, as always every year, there are those fools who think they can just charge right through our flooded intersection with no problems, something they usually find out (too late) is exactly the wrong thing to do! By the time I went out, the car in the first photo had flooded out and had been abandoned, right there in the middle of the intersection ... it was removed later but still!

Over the years people have said that I "don't suffer fools gladly (or in any other fashion)" so I felt little to no sympathy for this person who thought s/he could drive right through a good three feet or more of standing water at the bottom of a hill where it flows rapidly from both the east and west sides of the road! Back in the day when we first lived here, we used to go out to help push out drivers from the intersection, but this happens so frequently in summer that we just shake our heads now and wish them luck for being so foolish.... Everyone who lives in the neighborhood knows this flooding happens during heavy rains and avoids the intersection, as do those who actually use their good judgment when driving in the area. I know that sounds really harsh, but honestly, some people just seem to refuse the watery world of evidence in front of them and think they're invincible ... so to the hubris filled go the spoils of the car's engine, interior and who knows what else.
The preceding two shots show how far the water made it up over the curb and to the base of the steps leading up to our house ... there was really no place for it to go, since the ground is still mostly frozen (and wet from melted snow) and the storm drains are so often overwhelmed that I had a view of what usually happens in June or July during heavy rains. The big difference, as you can see, is that instead of rain, this particular lake contains not snow, but hail! Yep, what Fernymoss said looked like "pond scum" when he saw these photos is the rest of the hail that had covered the street before the flooding started. And when he got home this evening, there were still quite a few piles of hail all around the place hours later, and for all I know, they're probably still there since the temperature quickly plunged down into the 20s at sunset (as if there was any real sun today).
Here's an example of how quickly the hail piled up ... this is the primrose bed next to the front steps, and as you can see, they're valiantly trying to revive themselves after being buried until just the past few days ... they're looking pretty bedraggled, but that's actually normal, and as soon as the weather moderates, they'll likely spring right back into action. At least it's the first sign of green we've seen in this particular bed! I just hope they don't get too enthusiastic too soon though because here's the most recent forecast for tomorrow:

*Sigh*

Hanna's Sunny Gallery

After our recent snowy and chilly spell last week, It was very nearly an almost maybe Spring day here today! The sun was out, there was melting galore going on and the temperature made it up into the upper 50s, so can the spring bulbs be far behind? As I keep saying, we'll see because this evening it has cooled down considerably and it may only make it into the upper 30s Thursday, with a 90% chance of rain, sleet, snow or whatever happens to come along, thanks to the temperature. And with no flowers just yet, our favorite subject remains Hanna for the moment!
With the abundant sun coming in to warm and delight the houseplants, Hanna clearly decided that it was time to stop and smell the schefflera plant at the base of the stairs and take a little advantage of the sun streaming in. It's hard to believe she's only been here for a little over a month because she has totally taken possession of the house and now has her favorite lounging spots all figured out ... couch, bed, chair, futon couch, sunny stairs ... I think it's an embarrassment of riches for a pup her age (now 10 months)!
On sunny days while I'm working, she spends her time divided between the sunny spots she tracks along the stairs and up in my office. In fact we must have some really sunny-attractive spots for a dog, since Hanna haunts many of the same places Pepa and Rolly used to love on sunny days ... she may just be getting some tips from them on the best spots to lounge...
Both Fernymoss and I thought that this photo catches her in a "mysterious" moment when she'll give us one of these looks that we can't tell if it's just curiosity or if there's something even more devious going on inside her little head ... whatever the case may be, she already knows full well how to strike a pose for the camera, whether she likes it or not! (I think it's safe to say the camera is in love with her though....)
Finally, here's where Hanna spends much of the afternoon (on sunny days) while I'm at work in my office just around the corner at the top of the stairs ... she moves across the stair and landing as the sun progresses throughout the day, and generally, when it disappears she comes back into my office again and perches on the futon couch where she can look out the window across the street. That is, of course, until it's time for her late afternoon 'out' which is immediately followed by dinner and a treat, then it's back to her perch again until Fernymoss gets home and takes her out for her evening "walkies." AH ... to live a dog's life!

But maybe the fabled "dog's life" might not be all we imagine it to be, as this short film demonstrates ... it's narrated from the perspective of a dog named Speck as he reflects on his life in his seventh year with his owner in the UK. I've posted this video before, and if you've seen it, it deserves another look, whereas if you haven't, you're in for a touching and humorous treat that will make you recast your own relationship with your dog (if you have one). Take a look, and let me know what you think!

Photos taken on 25 February, 2009. Fernymoss took the first three, and I caught Hanna sunning later in the day.... Oh yeah, I've also been playing around with some of the frame effects in my photo editing program just for fun ... what do you think?

Happy Fat Tuesday -- Mardi Gras

So here we are, crashing up against the elusive date of Mardi Gras again this year as usual! Today I got the idea of rounding up some spare Mardi Gras beads and dressing Hanna up for a photo in party regalia, but we couldn't find any of the ones we no doubt have around here in the house somewhere, so whether or not she realized it, she was spared from sporting any tacky bling tonight, with only this frame I added!

Back in the day, we used to make an occasion of Mardi Gras with the traditional meals and of course a King Cake, but over the years due to busy and conflicting schedules even this has fallen a bit by the wayside, though we always do like to acknowledge the beginning of Lent signaled by the grande fête, even if neither of us are practicing Catholics. For us, it's mainly been an excuse to have a few extra drinks to get us through the rest of the winter and on course for spring. Perhaps selfish motives, yes, but hey -- if thousands of people can stop for a day to party in New Orleans (and certainly much wilder than we are capable of!), so can we!

For those more deeply steeped in classic New Orleans culture, there are a lot of traditions celebrated on this day other than a King Cake and bean based meals ... one of its greatest musicians: Dr. John. If you're not familiar with Dr. John, he's been around for decades weaving his own special brand of blues and is still going strong well into his 70's now. In fact, his most recently released disc was in June, 2008 ... City that Care Forgot, which as you might guess has a Hurricane Katrina theme. It's fine work, as always, from Dr. John, so if you're of a mind to spend a little time listening to some of his new album (courtesy of NPR), you could find many less satisfying ways of spending 50 minutes than listening to Dr. John! Just click on the photo below, go to the NPR page and click on "Hear the complete show" and you'll be good to go! You'll be glad you did, even if you don't stick around here the whole time! (Just open it in a new window.)
Finally, one of the traditional mainstays of a proper Mardi Gras celebration is to have a King Cake on hand, and much like the Epiphany, 12th Night and Kings's Day celebrations held in Europe, where the person who finds the fève (traditionally a dried bean, but now usually a plastic baby representing Jesus) is crowned for a day and gets to wear a crown. Given what goes on in New Orleans these days, it has obviously morphed considerably from its historical origins, but King Cakes are tasty! They're a simple leavened bread with cinnamon flavoring with a lemon based green-purple-gold colored sugar heavy frosting ... not something you want to indulge in every day, but when Lent is knocking at the door, I'm sure it's a great farewell treat to the sober season leading up to Easter.

I did a little looking around tonight and found an easy and workable recipe (even if it's geared to toward bread makers which I loathe ... a KitchenAid will do just fine!) that you can try if you're so inclined. If you're familiar with basic bread making technique, this recipe will be a snap, even if you don't make it in time for the "big day." It is a bread that gets stale pretty fast, so if you make it, make sure to indulge in plenty of leavened delight and use it for toast the next day if it's starting to get a bit stale. Tasty stuff! Maybe if I have time this weekend, I may make one even though I'll be late!

Personal note: in case you hadn't guessed, lately I've been smashing into yet more deadlines for work projects so that has affected my abilities to post here ... still, while we're waiting for the first signs of Spring to arrive here and work continues to be busy, I'll just have to offer my apologies in advance this time! But as soon as the bulbs get blooming and other signs of life start emerging, I'll be back to posting again more regularly. Every year I hate those winter doldrums! Maybe we can turn the corner with Mardi Gras this year! Here's to hoping....

Our Cheatin' Blooms ...

Well, both of us have apparently been so bloom-starved that we had the same idea of giving each other blooming gifts for Valentine's Day last weekend! And even though one could say that we're technically "cheating on Nature," I will say that it's really nice to have something blooming in the house right now, especially after the recent snows and cold. At least we can justify the purchases somewhat by intending to plant these out once it's spring, so the plant material won't go to waste. Though they may not thrive again for a year or so, everything depicted in these photos is hardy to our garden, so we'll just be patient for them to get their second wind at blooming.

The bulb basket in the first photo is a gift mix of spring flowers that I ordered from Van Bourgondien, thanks to a clever reminder email they sent me early last week, guaranteeing Valentine's Day delivery ....It's called the "Dutch Garden" gift basket and has a great assortment of bulbs in it ... 5 red tulips, 5 yellow Narcissus, 5 'Pickwick' giant crocus, a Hyacinth and 5 White Siberian Squill (something we don't have). Since they arrived on Friday, they have been practically flying out of the pot once they got some sun, water and warmer temperatures, and since I took this photo late this afternoon, 2 more of the Narcissus have started to emerge, and the crocus are beginning to open up a bit ... the hyacinth has opened its 'alien pod' and we can see the bloom developing inside ... so it's not going to be much longer before this basket will be quite colorful!

In the past I've generally had a dim view of forcing bulbs because it does tend to sap the plant's energies, but since then I've read that as long as one tends to their basic cycle, keeps them watered and deadheaded until they die back, that they can be successfully planted in the garden, even though they might take a year off from blooming, they will eventually return to their original glory. I think what I'll do is just give them some bulb food after they're done blooming, let them die back naturally and then plant this whole arrangement in a spot out front. Maybe we'll get more blooms next year, maybe not, but even if they don't, they'll be back at some future point. At least for now, I'm getting my purple crocus fix! I just love this variety, 'Pickwick,' and we just put in a bunch more of these last fall, so you'll be seeing them again if the ground ever warms up! When I was browsing my archives last week for that one post, I was a bit dismayed to see that last year's crocus were in their heyday in April! I sure hope it doesn't take that long this year, but last year was a pretty nasty winter ... time will tell....
Fernymoss shares my passion for Primroses, and he even managed to find a nice, blooming specimen for his gift to me ... this yellow cultivar is one of my favorites because it has such a lovely scent and is such a cheery shade of yellow. It had quite a few more blooms on it when I got it on Saturday, but before I took this photo, I had to pinch several spent ones off today so the remaining buds will develop and open ...no matter, because I love just about everything about Primula polyanthus, the lush textures of the foliage as well as the delightful yellow and sweet aroma the blooms have. I'm pretty confident this will do just fine in our Primrose Patch out front by the entrance steps. (If you'd like to see those, just click on the labels below this post for last year's blooms.) It took us a few years to find success with Primroses, and not all designated as hardy are truly hardy to our climate, but since I planted a mix of Polyanthus several years ago, we've finally found a spot they like and thrive in, and since then, they have been happily spreading into a nice clump. I'll be really interested to see how much bigger it is this year, because in the 3 years they've been there, they've already doubled in number, so I'm hoping for even more this spring!

Come on,Spring! We're getting a bit antsy here, but at least we have some beautiful harbingers blooming now inside, so let's hope they can tide us over till it finally arrives....

What? No Hanna pictures? Ok, here's one I haven't posted yet ... from 18 January, her first evening here at Casa IVG when she was just getting acquainted with us, and really pouring on the charm....

I think you guys will make really good daddies for me ... can I stay here furever?

How could anyone say no to this sweet little charmer? We sure couldn't! We're still delighting in all of her (well, most all) crazy puppy antics, the newest of which is playing "ice hockey" with an ice cube. She was cracking both of us up before I came up to work on this post ... chasing it around the room, knocking it about with her paws and nipping at it before she finally decided to eat it. Who says dog toys have to be expensive? And we don't even mind that she eventually destroys these particular ones! So here you go, Janet ... she's got the makings of a hockey dog somehow ... at least she knows what to do with an ice puck!

Happy (Snowy) Valentine's Day!!

Image courtesy of Vintage Valentine Museum

I'd like to extend my warmest Valentine greetings to all my blogging (and other) friends who stop by here at Urban Oasis ... over the last few years, and despite the distances and lack of truly personal contact, I've become quite fond of many of you folks, so here's my feeble Valentine tribute to you! Though this is a holiday that we once considered much more important and fun (when we were kids and actually got to have parties in grade school!), I have to admit that over the years it has lost a lot of its impact and appeal --a pity, I feel-- but both of us still try to surprise each other with some sort of small gift, and of course some chocolate! Sometimes we will go out for a meal ... or just stay in and watch a movie ... or just do nothing at all! Lordy, do I feel like we are such an old married couple sometimes!

Anyway, no matter what you have planned (or not!) for the day, I hope it is a pleasant and enjoyable one for you! My gift to myself is my steadfast vow NOT TO WORK this weekend, as I have had to do so much in the past few months ... after putting in over 65 hours this week and cranking out yet another tight deadline report, I'm gifting myself with some rest and time away from work. So even if we don't have solid plans other than to run some errands at Target and a few other stores, we just want to take it easy and stay warm this snowy weekend.... Besides, Hanna is still new to the house and we have to make sure we set aside play time and walkies time for her!

Actually if we get the time, I'd like to get out to see Slumdog Millionaire before it wins every other conceivable award on earth ... I've read nothing but good reviews and heard positive comments from people, so I'm really curious about this film. Besides, I haven't seen anything else nominated for an Academy Award (not even the new Woody Allen film with Penelope Cruz and Javier 'hubba hubba' Bardem, shame on me!), but what else is new? I think the last time I actually "had a dog in the contest" was in 2005 when Brokeback Mountain was robbed by that lacrymose and overrated piece of crapola, Crash. Yeah, I'm still bitter about that, and if the Academy had had their brains in gear, they would have given Heath Ledger the award he deserved for that film, rather than doing the usual and waiting for someone to die before giving the posthumous award. (Anyone remember Peter Finch finally getting his Oscar back in 1976 for Network after he died???) Ok, better get out of film rant territory ... but one parting shot: of course my favorite film released in 2008 (though completed in 2006), The Fall didn't even get a mention, but then again I expected that.... I'm used to being in the dark about most commercial films ... you know, the kind that get recognized and make money ... so just let me simmer in my Luddite Filmic juices ... and though we still haven't seen Batman The Dark Knight, sometime we will, because I do have to admit we both loved Batman Begins. Just not a high priority around here, and if I have my way tonight we'll finally be watching No Country For Old Men, which I got for Christmas but still haven't seen ... yep, I'm that behind the times that the Cohen brothers have already made another film that I'd like to see, but until now have missed the previous one.

Just in case anyone might be wondering what a good selection for Valentine's Day would be, I'll recommend the one I used to watch every year (back when I was single), and one I might still pull out tonight just for fun, because it always makes me laugh and cry: the 1977 Best Picture, Director, Actress and Screenplay winner ... none other than Woody Allen's Annie Hall. If by chance (shame on you!) you've never seen it before, now's the time ... and if you've seen it before, it's time to revisit it one more time just for fun ... I mean, who can resist laughing when Woody suggests putting out "a small dish of drawn butter" to try to lure an escaped lobster back into the pot? Sheer brilliance. But then, what do I know? I'm one of those pointy headed elitist liberals who voted for Obama!

Ok, I've ranted and raved enough about films... Please permit me one last whine about the snow storm we got on Friday ... though it was slow to actually move in in the morning, once it got going, it kept up at a pretty steady pace (about 1 inch/hour) until about 8:00 p.m. ... Fernymoss and Hanna (who actually ventured out twice last night) estimate that here at Casa IVG we got about 8 inches before it was all over. Luckily for us, our neighbor two doors down who has the snow blower graciously did our walks and driveway, so we're going to owe him BIG time ... we'll be inquiring this weekend what his favorite beer is, then getting him some, because this is not the first time he's done us such a favor this winter! So we lucked out ....

Anyway, I wish this video I took today was viewable at larger resolution, because it really does show how hard and fast the snow was coming down at around 4:30 p.m. ... but at least this should give you an impression of what it was like. Just remember that the angle from which I took this (on the front steps facing north across the boulder bed) was until just yesterday, mostly clear of snow from our recent meltdown. Not anymore! Everything is once again buried ... so here we go paying our penance for that evil groundhog's prediction back on Februrary 2.

Thanks a lot, you jerk of a marmot. I was looking forward to snowdrop s and crocus, until you had to go and muck it all up! I hope someone throws a toaster into the bathtub next time you decide to take a bath! And that you go out tortured by Sonny and Cher.....

A Blast From February Past ...

In honor(?) of the impending snow storm headed our way today (Friday the 13th no less!), I headed back into the 2004 archives on the XP box I use as a file server, because I recalled one of those February blasts that was particularly memorable ... so here it is, the great snow of February 5, 2004. I originally titled this first shot "NOT A Wonderland," no doubt due to my disgust with that particularly harsh winter when we had had our fill of the white stuff at that point. And, if I recall correctly, that was also the year that we had the surprise St. Patrick's Day blizzard that graced us (and buried emerging bulbs) with a mere 17 inches of snow ... it was a long winter that year.... So, let's head around back and see what Pepa and Rolly thought of the whole thing....
Pepa was definitely in deep and up to her elbows here, but not unhappy about the situation ... she and Rolly always loved frolicking in the snow, at least until they got too cold and were ready to come back inside. But on this particular day, they were quite content to take advantage of the snow accumulation to romp in the back yard while it was still coming down fast and furious....
Ever the snow dog with his heavy coat, Rolly was undaunted by the falling snow and given his height advantage over Pepa, had no problems tromping happily through the drifts on his way to a play session with his dear companion Queen Pepa....
Ah, these were the great old play days Pepa and Rolly so enjoyed in their younger years, when they would chase and wrestle each other around for what seemed like hours on end ... Pepa would start by nipping Rolly's ankles to get things going and then they were off! Who cared that day if there were already about 8 inches of snow on the ground and more on the way? They were having waaay too much fun!
But even as much fun as playing in the snow could be, Pepa usually was the first to have her fill and head for the warmth inside to find a nice blankie to nest in for a wee nap after playing ... Rolly, ever the oblivious one, hadn't quite figured out the cue yet and was intently watching something that caught his interest elsewhere. I don't exactly recall what got his attention prompting him to come in (probably one of those short, curt and bossy barks from Pepa signaling the end of play time?) but eventually he made his way back toward the house....
Ok, I'll admit it, I was mostly likely the one who first had had enough of the cold and snow and was really ready to go back in, though both Pepa and Rolly didn't mind that idea either at this point. So, as the snow was still falling, we all headed back into the house to warm up, dry off and settle down for a nice nap after a snowy playtime ... and the snow just kept on coming. If I recall correctly, we ended up with about 10-12 inches from this storm, more than enough for us to grumble enough already! But no, there was more still to come in March before it was all over for the year.... One last shot of Queen Pepa, who wanted to get up close and personal with the camera with her snowy nose before we went in ... In retrospect, I really wish the camera I was using at the time (the faithful Fuji Finepix 2250) had had the video capabilities that my new S700 has, but no matter, it did a fine job of capturing our two beloved furry loves for posterity, and that's what ultimately counts for us, now that they're gone physically, but still keeping watch over Jardín and Casa IVG! And once again, I think we have to give them great thanks for sending us our wonderful new pup, Hanna, who's not quite a snow pup yet because this year was her first time experiencing snow and since we've had her it's been wickedly cold and snowy, but maybe next year she'll be frolicking happily in the snow like her noble predecessors did for so many years here. Time will tell, but we'll see how she reacts to this next snow on the way, so stay tuned for more details....

Fickle is February!

It's not every day that one sees a traffic warning sign like this one out on the streets! You may have seen this photo, as it's been making the rounds the past couple of weeks, but the back story is that some enterprising and clever hacker managed to get into the traffic sign system down in Austin, TX a few weeks back and changed the signs to this rather ominous warning. I have to say this would have definitely gotten my attention had I seen it driving around the city ... and we'd have been eagerly peering around each corner hoping to spot one or two ... but remember, we're big fans of zombie movies, especially the "zomedies" such as Fido and Shaun of the Dead. I have the sneaking suspicion that the perpetrator of this humorous mischief just might have similar tastes as well, but I'm just sayin' ...
Ah, winter in Iowa, you just gotta love it! It certainly can keep you on your toes for sudden changes, so today's secret word (scream real loud!!!) is Fickle. Just the other night I was waxing lyrical about our recent meltdown and balmy temperatures in the low 60's (it was a glorious 64 here on Tuesday!) We were just finally being able to see the brown grass underneath the disappearing snow pack the past few days and then the Weather Underground had to come out with this forecast tonight ... (if you're here) read it and weep! They've also issued a Winter Storm Watch for Friday and Friday night that mentions the possibility of 6-10 inches of the ubiquitous white stuff, so here we go again...!
Of course, this is nothing unusual for February, and I half expected as much, but after what has seemed like an interminably cold and snowy winter, allow me a brief whine (the cheese is over on the table, help yourselves) to say that I'm deeply discouraged, especially after getting my hopes up to be bulb spotting soon ... that will have to wait for another day. I did venture out front briefly late this afternoon to look for signs of bulbs coming up, but aside from the ratty looking foliage of the muscari which usually lasts through the winter anyway and some pretty bedraggled and melted looking primroses, there's not a lot of green to be seen.

Even the hollyhocks behind the house are looking melted and still dormant, and in the north Woodland Garden, there's still too much snow there to even begin to see if the Hellebores are still green. Of course, just about the only green out there is from the Hollies who provide us with our only winter interest in that part of the garden. Maybe I'll finally get some photos of snow frosted hollies this weekend if this storm turns out as predicted ... we've been meaning to do that all winter, but frankly, it's been too snowy and way too cold to even contemplate it thus far, but they do look really pretty with a nice covering of snow, so we'll see what I can come up with. I may just take some shots of the winter garden to show how depressing it looks at this point in winter with its dead foliage still standing (at least the birds got some food from the coneflowers), just waiting to be cut back in those first few warm days of spring as we prepare the beds for another growing season. But again, that's for another day when the snows have finally subsided and signs of green are definitely appearing!

As we gardeners well know, there are a lot of "waiting games" we have to endure over the seasons (awaiting the first blooms, the first ripe tomato, the first hibiscus blooms, the list goes on and on), but the period between late winter and the arrival of early spring is, at least for me, one of the most frustrating because it seems just so interminable!

I guess that if I don't have to work again this weekend, I'll just spend some time perusing some of the catalogues we've been receiving en masse since January ... I did look at one the other day that had a great deal on some blue irises that we may want to order at a substantial discount, though with the financial situation as it is currently, we're trying to restrain ourselves this year on new purchases ... but knowing us, we'll probably break down and get some new things anyway! We do, however, plan to restrain our planting instincts somewhat this year, and limit ourselves to mostly vegetables and a few new perennials (I've vowed not to get any more hibiscus this year!) so we can concentrate on what we already have in abundance. Besides, we do have our new puppy to train in garden etiquette and plan on spending a lot of time working with her on that ... further, we've decided that Hanna is a prime candidate for learning some agility type activities, so we want to work on those as well ... if for no other reason than to help her work off that inexhaustible puppy energy! She loves jumping and running, so we figure she's ready to do some hoop jumping and hurdle type activities if nothing else. So much we have planned for warmer weather ... it's just the waiting for it to arrive that is driving us all a bit stir crazy here right now ... I suppose it's just a case of the late winter "antsies" affecting us all, so the sooner we have nicer weather, the happier (and more active) we'll all be!

How many of you are feeling similar at this point of the winter? It can't just be us!

Meltdowns Make Me Long For Crocus!

Finally, at long last, we're getting a much needed respite from winter's cold and snow the past few days ... Today we even had some light rain (though thunderstorms were predicted) and the temperature made it all the way up to 60F ... I even opened the window in my office to let in the cool, fresh air! Just what I needed after this bout with the flu over the past two weeks, and when the sun actually came out this afternoon, it had an even more salutory effect on my winter weary mood, and set me to anticipating the imminent arrival of the spring bulbs! Though only the hardiest of the hardy might dare show themselves this early (Snowdrops, where are you?), it won't be that long before life starts stirring again in the beds and parking out front as the crocus and other early spring bloomers awaken from their long winter's nap under the snow pack, which, happily is receding more and more with each warmish day we experience....
Though we both have our favorites among the early bloomers, I have to admit that I've always had a real soft spot for crocus ever since I was a child when I marveled at seeing these bright messengers of spring pop up in various places in my parents' yard and garden. When we first started planting bulbs back in fall 1999, a nice assortment of Snow Crocus was among our first purchases (along with Siberian Squill and Snowdrops), and we've continued to plant hundreds more over the past ten years, and last year we added yet another 300 or so to our already burgeoning collection, so I'm eagerly awaiting their appearance this Spring. Since I didn't actually help with last fall's planting (Fernymoss did all the work this time), I'm not quite sure where exactly they will pop up, so that will add even more to the surprise and delight of seeing these cheerful little gems emerge from their winter hibernation....

Though these photos are from last spring (April alas, due to the very late malingering winter we had last year), they are just a few of the representatives of the dozens of varieties we have planted, and the one in the first photo is one of our "Giant Dutch" varieties, the name of which escapes me at the moment, but it's a lovely one I always enjoy seeing bloom!
These diminutive beauties are from a particularly delightful Snow Crocus mix we originally got from Van Bourgondien Bulbs, and we liked this mix so much that we ordered yet another collection of 100 of exactly the same last fall, so there will be even more of them coming up soon. Another thing I love so much about these Snow Crocus (in particular) is that they naturalize quite quickly and it's not unusual for them to double or triple in number in the first 2-3 years after planting, so much so that eventually we hope to achieve large drifts of them around the beds and parking where we have them planted ... can you imagine anything more delightful than that? Well, Fernymoss might differ with me and say he'd rather see huge drifts of Siberian Squill, but they're doing well enough on their own that they're already on their way to achieving that goal!
Being fortunate enough to capture the sun permeating the petals of these lovelies can produce a really beautiful effect, as the previous photo demonstrates quite well (I think!), revealing the rich depths and variations of color that you can find within a single bloom ... and with the many variations of color available in Crocus, painting a veritable rainbow across the garden is something easily within the reach of any gardener so inclined and willing to take the time to purchase and plant them. And, as far as planting bulbs is concerned, Crocus are among the easiest: they are small (about the size of a penny or dime) so they don't have to go down very deep and the motivated gardener can easily plant quite a few in one session, just using the ubiquitous garden trowel. The work is richly rewarded when one has reached the breaking point with wintery weather doldrums and the first few truly sunny and warm days of Spring arrive, they start springing from the ground almost in bloom even before the foliage is fully developed!
By now, I'm sure you've noticed the particular color theme in these photos revealing my penchant for the purple varieties, though I'm almost as fond of the astonishing range of brilliant yellows Crocus also offer and it won't be long before you'll be seeing them on these pages as well. I guess I was just in a purple mood tonight as I perused my archives looking for representative photos.... As the weather moderates more, I'll be outside looking for signs of their emergence, though the forecast for the rest of the week has us experiencing one more nice day (today), then we'll be back to more seasonal norms in the 30's. After all, it is just the beginning of February and we may still have more snows in store, but even if the Crocus do emerge, they can take a fair amount of cold and snowy abuse, so we'll see what the next few weeks bring!

At this point I'm sure some of you are wondering where Hanna is and why she hasn't appeared in this post (something she's probably asking herself as well!) so here's a bonus puppy picture for the dog inclined among you ... so here she is from a couple of weeks back, when I caught her posing and staring intently into the dining room where Fernymoss was undoubtedly doing something absolutely fascinating ... but then just about anything seems fascinating to Hanna at this point, which is one of the joys of puppyhood I had long forgotten, but am enjoying so much again since her arrival at Casa IVG.
There's something truly rejuvenating about sharing in the puppy's experience of a new environment and world ... for me, as cheesy as it might seem to say, it has helped reawaken my inner child's sense of wonder and opened up new perspectives for me yet again, thanks to Hanna's perpetual discovery of yet another new thing in her world. For example, just this past weekend while I was working away in my office, I had the window open and she heard a plane go over and really sat up to attention wondering what that might be ... I realized that what passes as totally banal for me, was yet another source of wonder for her as she explores the new world she's living in. And when I took her out several times today, I think she's just as (or more) relieved to see the snow recede ... now she doesn't have to worry about getting lost (literally) up to her elbows in the drifts of snow! I think she really appreciates that, but to know for sure, you'd have to ask her yourself!

Nurse Hanna

Well folks, it happened yet again this winter ... another nasty bug came to town to knock me down for the better part of a week, only this time it was the "Big I" Influenza virus that got me last weekend. I'm not talking about those annoying intestinal viruses we often refer to as "flu," this was the real thing, complete with a high fever (it peaked at about 104 for a couple of days), intense headache, dry cough, chills, aches, the whole complement of nasties as Woody Allen once said. All last Friday I didn't feel quite right ... a vague malaise, tiredness, feverish ... foreboding what would hit me full force on Saturday when I realized that I was well and truly sick!

Great timing as always with these things ... I was planning on working on a project for work Saturday (another tight reporting deadline looms again), but of course that didn't happen, since I was laid up, first in bed, then in my recliner buried in blankets where I passed most of the day shivering, aching, and dozing on and off while absorbing some comfort from non-stop Food Network programming (Ina Garten and Tyler Florence always make me feel better!).

I did, however, take great comfort from the constant nursing companionship of dear little Hanna, who barely strayed from my side (or lap) the entire day ... Dogs know when we're sick. They want to do whatever they can to make us feel better, and our new little one is no exception! Pepa always was an exemplary nurse pup whenever I was sick and never let me out of her sight when I was ailing, and it looks like Hanna already has the instincts as well! Not only did she help keep me warm while I was chilling (not in a good way!), but she gave me plenty of concerned looks and puppy kisses to make me feel better, barely leaving my side, even when Fernymoss came home from work and took her out for "walkies." Once she returned, she was right back with me, as in this photo ... though it looks like she is lying on something covered by a blanket, that "something" was my legs stretched out in the recliner and on the ottoman! She spent a good deal of time there over the weekend when she wasn't in my lap or curled up on my chest in the chair. She's a comfort pup for sure, and it's not all about her comfort, because she obviously wanted to make me feel better as well.
I ended up having to miss a day and a half of work early in the week, where I was laid out in bed with the fever until it broke sometime on Monday, and the entire time Hanna spent as close to me as she could get, not even asking to go out or be fed until I was able to get up and tend to her needs. That's why a good dog is such a treasure to behold: they exhibit a remarkable capacity to put their needs aside when one of their humans has a greater need, and this occasion was her first chance to prove herself, which she did more than admirably! And, as if we didn't know it already, this pup is a keeper! Which brings me to the fact that last weekend was the end of her "trial home visit period" ... her former foster mom called us Monday night to check in to make sure we wanted to finalize the adoption, and you can well imagine what our response was! All of us were in agreement that she landed in her forever home here, where she will now stay to bloom, play, flourish and otherwise enjoy being a part of our pack. I can't emphasize enough how fortunate we were to find this exceptional pup when we did, but then, every day I am more and more convinced that Coco and Pepa played a role in the whole process, aided by Hanna's wonderful foster mom and a great rescue organization that saved her from the city pound from which she originally came! I don't think we did anything particularly heroic by adopting a rescue dog (after all that's where the best dogs come from anyway), but rather than us giving her a "second lease on life," she gave us the new lease on life we needed at a particularly difficult time in our lives. We're just so glad it worked out so well for all of us, and we are all looking forward to the happy days ahead (even in these gloomy times) we'll all have together!

Jedi Doggie Magic indeed. And just when we needed it the most! And, dear Coco, Pepa and Rolly, our everlasting thanks for the role your erstwhile paws played in this whole transitional episode of our lives! You, the elder dogs who have gone before, still watch over us and the house and we hope you are enjoying Hanna's antics as well. You guys sent us a real treasure!