I am fed up with winter weather ... and I am unanimous in that! The sun made a feeble attempt to break through the clouds midday and then disappeared to sulk about its lack of success. It was chilly, it was windy, and eventually it was rainy. I made it outside only because my pond guy, the awesome Justin of Pond Pros of Houston, came by to take a look at the pond. It had been losing water at an alarming rate and I feared a leak. Happily, the problem was not that, which would have been much more time-consuming and unpleasant to fix. Justin showed me that the Louisiana Iris on one side of the bog were causing the water to dam up and spill over the liner, then out into the nearby bed and from there seep under the liner, causing it to billow most unattractively. He dug up some of the Iris, positioned some rocks to hold the flattened liner upright and reassured me that all would be well within a few days. He also replaced the pre-filter/screen on the bog pump: Pondmaster pumps may be awesome but their screens leave a great deal to be desired. We're trying out a CalScreen pre-filter to see if it will do the trick. Bless him for coming out on such a raw winter day.
While I was outside, I did make a happy discovery. Last fall, when I learned that the Triumphator Lilies might grow to be 5-6 feet tall by their second year, I moved them from their original planting spot to one better suited to their height. I'd heard that they would offset and naturalize; it seems that rumor was correct! There are several lilies coming up in and near the old spot. I'm delighted, even if it does mean that I now have to move them too and that means figuring out when to do the dirty digging.
Inside, the Microgreens/Lettuce Sprouts are coming along nicely. I introduced Hayley to the pleasure of running your fingers over them and she was intrigued to learn that doing so actually makes them stronger. Tomorrow I'll move them over near a window that gets a bit more light, though, since I suspect they're a bit leggy. I'm thinking I'll start another batch in a day or so, too.
Hayley's kitten is getting a bit more adventuresome and has taken to escaping the confines of her room to run down the hall and explore other rooms. I can hear his bell jingling as he goes. The Executive Producer ventured into Hayley's room tonight to say hello to Loki, who promptly hid under the bed. Annie's overtures towards him earlier sent him scuttling into the pantry, where he made himself very small.
And in a return to the subject of winter weather, I was most disappointed to read a blog post by the Houston Chronicle's Eric Berger, the Science Guy, who said the weather models are pointing towards another strong cold front heading our way by mid-February, making another freeze likely. All those who are strongly opposed to this happening, repeat after me: Enough winter weather already ... and we are unanimous in that!
While I was outside, I did make a happy discovery. Last fall, when I learned that the Triumphator Lilies might grow to be 5-6 feet tall by their second year, I moved them from their original planting spot to one better suited to their height. I'd heard that they would offset and naturalize; it seems that rumor was correct! There are several lilies coming up in and near the old spot. I'm delighted, even if it does mean that I now have to move them too and that means figuring out when to do the dirty digging.
Inside, the Microgreens/Lettuce Sprouts are coming along nicely. I introduced Hayley to the pleasure of running your fingers over them and she was intrigued to learn that doing so actually makes them stronger. Tomorrow I'll move them over near a window that gets a bit more light, though, since I suspect they're a bit leggy. I'm thinking I'll start another batch in a day or so, too.
Hayley's kitten is getting a bit more adventuresome and has taken to escaping the confines of her room to run down the hall and explore other rooms. I can hear his bell jingling as he goes. The Executive Producer ventured into Hayley's room tonight to say hello to Loki, who promptly hid under the bed. Annie's overtures towards him earlier sent him scuttling into the pantry, where he made himself very small.
And in a return to the subject of winter weather, I was most disappointed to read a blog post by the Houston Chronicle's Eric Berger, the Science Guy, who said the weather models are pointing towards another strong cold front heading our way by mid-February, making another freeze likely. All those who are strongly opposed to this happening, repeat after me: Enough winter weather already ... and we are unanimous in that!
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