flynn070

After a long week of snow and ice, we are finally emerging from hibernation. It was a long haul and I was beginning to think I would never see green again. The foot of snow lingered and lingered and there are still mounds and patches of it left even today. Temperatures struggled to get above freezing for almost a week. That kind of weather is actually not common here and winters are normally about as mild as they are in Alabama except our temperatures remain consistent (in the 30s and 40s) and we do not get spikes up into the 60s and 70s this time of year.  There was significant tree damage around town and I know many gardeners suffered losses. Most of our plants are still small and many of them were totally buried by the snow. Four limbs on the big dogwood tree were broken. There would probably have been more than that had I not gotten out and shaken snow off during the first night of the snowfall. The line of photinias along the back fence seem fine. There is one that was totally...

They say that it is the 4th largest snow in history in the Portland area. It started after dark last night and quickly started accumulating. I went out around 10pm and started shaking my plants that were being weighted down. We had around 4 inches by 11pm. I was reading and watching TV and about to get ready for bed when the power flickered three times and then went out for good. It was out for about 3 hours (we estimate). This morning we woke up to at least 10 inches (probably more) and light snow continued to fall until noon. I was terribly worried about my plants but fortunately, most are still very small. My biggest concern was the big dogwood out back that was heavily loaded down with snow (see the photo below). When I ventured out this morning, I saw that two large limbs had broken. I got most of the heavy snow off and hope that it will be okay. We have dry weather predicted for the next several days. It is going to get cold again at night, in the 20s, but at least the tender pla...

The amaryllis finally blooms, after the holiday of course. I have never gotten them to bloom in time for Christmas. This one seemed to be especially slow but they are always worth the wait.   Wednesday Vignette is hosted by Anna at Flutter and Hum . Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

It seems like it has been months since I worked outside in the garden. In addition to work and the holidays, the weather has played a significant factor. It has been typical winter weather here - cold and rainy. I've always had an aversion to working in a wet garden but I am getting used to it and I know that there simply isn't an option.  2016 is ending and I think the general consensus is "good riddance!" A terrible year overall but one big bright spot - it started out with us moving to Washington and beginning a new life. For all the bad things that have happened this year, that one event outshines all the bad. I discovered a long time ago that when life gets rough, the garden offers lots of mental and physical comfort. So, on to 2017... I still have plants to go in the ground and I wanted to get some evergreens and trees established before next summer. I did manage to get the pots and tender plants in the basement. The new plantings have been pushed to the side un...

This is Fernando, who has come inside for the winter months. He is currently sitting in a pot of String of Hearts in our little mini greenhouse over the kitchen sink. I think he is ready for summer to return. Wednesday Vignette is hosted by Anna at Flutter and Hum . Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

This month the Cake Slice Bakers group had four cakes to choose from - a Coconut Rum Cake, a hazelnut torte, gingerbread and this recipe - the Coffee and Walnut Cake. I confess I chose the simplest sounding one and the one that had readily available ingredients. This turned out nicely and it was a breeze to make. The cake is very light in texture with a strong coffee flavor. It is a great breakfast cake. Again, like the recipe from last month, this required baking in a springform pan (although I am sure it could be done in regular cake pans). So, this is the second time I have made a cake in a springform pan that was not a cheesecake! Coffee and Walnut Cake (from World Class Cakes by Roger Pizey, Race Point Publishing, 2013) Ingredients: 3/4 cup walnut halves 3/4 (1 1/2 sticks) butter,softened 1 c. sugar 3 eggs 2 tbsp. instant coffee powder mixed to a paste with water 1 1/3 c. self-rising flour, sifted 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder For the Filling and topping: 1 tbsp. boiling water 1 tbsp....

  Another round of snow came yesterday. I am not sure exactly how much we got but I am estimating around 2". It is beautiful and reminds me of my recent trip to Mt. Hood.  I really dodged a bullet yesterday when I got home from work around 3pm. This was right at the time traffic started to bog down and by the time I got home, the news stations were showing tangled traffic on the interstates. I think if I had left work thirty minutes later, it would have taken me much longer to travel those 5 miles. It was a traffic nightmare last night with some people taking up to 6 hours to get home.  Today is a day to stay inside - maybe do some baking or catching up on my reading (the new biography of Bram Stoker is quite good!). I am happy to be at home. I took a brief stroll around the garden. It is cold and the hummingbird feeders froze last night. "Van" (Michael named our hummer) was probably mighty miffed this morning but I took the feeders in and de-thawed them. This bamboo is ...