Today’s main image is a picture of the empty concrete slab of my back porch. It lies wonderfully unencumbered for the first time since last fall, giving me temporary relief from the irritation of the local entropy. When I bought the house, it had an apartment in the basement with a 1970s-era avocado colored refrigerator […]
Nothing to See Here! Read More »
My family and I recently returned from a lengthy visit to the east coast. Our goals were to catch up with our relatives and to give Melissa and me the opportunity to show some of our favorite sites to our offspring. Our travel was, by all accounts, the most convenient of all our family trips
Back From Vacation Read More »
This afternoon, while on an errand to purchase groceries at Fred Meyer’s, I was fortunate to spot this double rainbow decorating the sky. In Fairbanks, rainbows are more commonly seen than in other places where I have lived. I surmise that the lower angle of the Sun in the arctic sky may increase the probability
In Fairbanks, bird vetch (vicia cracca) is truly tenacious, invasive plant that defies all but the most dedicated efforts to its removal. In our lot across the street it has established a sprawling colony on the north side of the field. We don’t use that area for anything the vetch would harm and it generally
This spring, the weather has been cooler than usual and so, rather than blooming precisely on June 1, as was the case last year, our Saskatoon berries (Juneberries) took a bit more time. In the end, the extra time was worth it, because they look quite attractive and there are more of them this year.
Juneberries and Spiraea Read More »
Once again, the yellow flowers in the lawn are the first wildflowers to appear. I was worried that the dethatching and raking might ruin the wildflowers in the yard, but they have prevailed. This afternoon, we had our first hail for the spring. It was only a few minutes in duration and the hailstones weren’t
First Flowers and First Hail Read More »
Today, I made a fair bit of progress on the raspberry arbors. I began by putting the wires back in place in the existing patches. Melissa had already cleared out the dead canes so straightening the second-year canes was not difficult. One patch was accidentally mowed down in the fall. The wooden post at the
Raspberry Arbor Work Read More »
In the fall, after it was too late for any significant regrowth, I rented a brush hog and mowed the tall grass and small shrubs that had grown up in the lawns, field, and garden areas. I was determined to accomplish the task with only one day’s rental expense, but that goal was hard to
Two weeks ago, I made the first snow-free circumnavigation of the house. It was a modest expedition, to be sure, but its completion was an important box to check in the development of Spring. The snow is almost gone from the yard, but it lingers in the sheltered area under the branches of one of
Now that most of the snow has melted, we are entering the ugliest time of the year. It is no longer a crisp, white winter, but it is not yet a warm, green spring. We are no longer constrained by the cold and the dark, but we are dispirited to find that we can’t
Ugliest Time of the Year Read More »