Irrigation...45º

Our little ditch out front, has had water in it for over 2 weeks now...Herb has all the pipes cleaned out, pumps set up and over the weekend he started watering lawn, garden and flower beds...I've been using the water, gravity feed, in the garden with our gravity feed drippers...With just a few warm days, the ground is drying out and plants start to wilt in the hot sun...We are lucky to have our little ditch for irrigating and also to lull us to sleep at night.

It is going to be another warm one today and tomorrow with Wednesday bringing possible thunder storms and showers, cooling a bit...I have sour dough bubbling away and Wednesday should be the perfect day to make a batch of bread...I've been busy deadheading and trimming back, waiting for the next flush of bloom as the iris, poppies and peonies take their turn...The flower gardens are mostly "green" now, (lovely shades of green 💖).

Our little Gala apple tree is in full bloom, so many blooms, it has taken over 15 years to get this many blooms and I couldn't resist taking a bunch of photos...Wishing everyone a safe Memorial Day...Hugs To All OWAV:)

Weather Improves...40º

Three nice days are predicted for Memorial weekend...The usual lilacs, iris and peonies for bouquets are still in bud...Time to put the tomato plants in the garden, everything else is planted and the warm days ahead with give things a boost...Trees are blooming everywhere in town and the tourist season starts, the next few months our town is busy, busy and we spend our time away from the crowded main street...We are lucky to live apart from all the hustle and bustle...Wishing everyone a safe weekend, hugs to all...OWAV:)

Last weeks photos...40º

Finally some nice weather, typical spring, hot for a couple of days, then back to cool and wet...Herb is working at staining our deck, a semi annual job and I'm slowly getting the vegetable garden planted...Have all the plants in pots to put on the deck and front porch, now hoping that we don't get a hard frost...Fruit trees are finishing their bloom, time will tell if we get any fruit this summer.

Went to the annual Hootenanny yesterday (music and pies), good crowd and lots of delicious pies to sample...Will finish up water therapy this week, then off until Oct...A potluck with all 3 groups, about 30 people on Wed. then Thurs. our group will have lunch out at a local cafe...Nice way to end the season...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Trollius (globe flower)

Blooming plum tree

Breakfast

Fern Peony

Last of the tulips

Hootenanny pies

And more pies

Weather, Oh MY!...28º Burrrrrr

I have some catching up to do, starting Monday, I opted to go to water therapy, so I could spend Tuesday having more fun...Tuesday morning I made a huge salad, met two of my fellow writers at the Joseph parking lot and from there we traveled 30 miles east to Imnaha and warmer weather...We basked in the sun by Big Sheep Crik (that's what the locals call it), reading, talking, laughing and just plain relaxing, before moving inside to eat our lunches and reminisce about other years spent at Janie's cabin.

Four hours later I was back home getting ready to attend our first "Garden Club" meeting for this year...Fifteen old/new members showed up to plan our summer of visiting gardens, listening to guest speakers, but mostly exchanging ideas and plants as we change and improve our own gardens...This group really generated excitement for the coming summer and took me up on the offer of Grape Hyacinth bulbs, followed me home to get bulbs and viewed our Barton Heights garden...It was a fun day.

Wednesday and Thursday was sunny and warm....Herb finished moving our winters wood into our basement wood shed and I got most of the vegetable garden planted, deadheaded daffodils and planted 8 new Oriental Poppies, that might bloom this summer...Not sure how everything will fare this latest bout of weather...It snowed and rained yesterday and last nights 28º, spread a thick layer of frost over the ground and onto the blooming plum and apple trees...😢 All next week is predicted to be cold/rainy/snowy with highs in the 50's, although the sun is out and brilliant right now.

Herb and I made a trip to Lewiston/Clarkston to Costco yesterday, rain most of the day, but luckily no rock/mud slides to hinder our travels...Looks like this coming week will be spent inside catching up on cooking and housework...UGH...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...Exciting news from Portland this morning, as Cienna continues to amaze us with her talents...Follow this link to Bobi's blog.   http://bobbi-writingonthewall.blogspot.com

Pasque flower gone to seed.

Sunny Days Ahead...30º

Yesterday took awhile to warm up but it was perfect working weather, once we got outside and moving...Herb worked on two new planters for the front porch geraniums while I set things up to get a head start on the deck planters...Last year we got rid of the big half barrels that have decorated our deck for many years, downsizing to smaller pots...It made our deck more roomy and less work to plant, water and deadhead, but still a showy display.

So at the nursery I picked out plants in a "tri pac," three plants started with root cuttings, held together so they grow as one plant in the middle of my pots...Then I place alyssum and lobelia around the edges of the pot to fill in...It is too early here in Joseph to plant most annuals without some protection...I've devised mini greenhouses out of milk jugs to cover the tender "tri pac" and snuggle them together on the south side of our house, where they grow for the next 3 weeks, until the weather warms enough by the first of June to move them to the outer edges of the deck...This worked last year, as we watched the nighttime temperatures and cover them with a sheet on really cold night...Fingers Crossed!!!

I have red geraniums for the front porch, two new planters plus some old ones to fill and haven't quite figured out how they are going to work together...Time will tell...The sun is up and I must get moving...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

This doesn't look like much now, 

come June they should be blooming.

Pansies are hardly

Yesterday's dinner, salad, yam, roast beef.

Coastal Weather...38º

Rain overnight, fog surrounds our valley this morning, making it look like a day on the coast...It looks like we might see the sun by Sunday afternoon...Anticipating the rain, I made my annual trip to the Alder Slope Greenhouse to buy bedding plants...It is early to plant but last year it worked to plant early and leave them next to the house, covered with milk jugs (mini greenhouses) for the rest of the month and by June 1st they were nicely filled out and ready for their place on the deck...I did plant two containers of pansies as they are hardy and will tolerate freezing weather and I love their smiling faces.

Now I have to get motivated to clean out the fridge, prep and cook food for the coming week before I find a book to read, which is what I would rather do!

Yesterday I deadheaded daffodils and picked one bunch of doubles that were bending over from the weight of the blooms, they made a lovely bouquet, and brighten our living room this morning....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Rusty headed home...40º

Actually the weather is dreary this morning, rained hard overnight but a promise of sun later this morning...The reason I haven't posted a blog is because Rusty has been in Joseph for a few days, working on my "Honey Do" list and doing mechanic work on Herb's pickup...He will leave for Bend this morning with a promise to return in a few months, time for me to add to the list.

Maybe we will have some nice May days and I can get some seeds planted in the garden, lettuce, radishes etc and attack more of the weeds in the flower beds before they get totally out of control...Everything is incredibly green and lovely right now and our Manchurian Bush apricot tree is in full bloom...Daffodils are slowing fading and I will deadhead them as I work on the weeds...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Ornamental Apricot

More Blossoms