Spring Is Maybe Here to Stay

Cold weather gone? Hope so!

The local orchards are having a rough time of it. Freezing weather in April is just not normal in this part of the world. Peach trees, pear trees, and apricots bloom early and an untimely frost can mean no crop this year for these types of fruits. A couple of springs ago the peach trees were hit at just the wrong time, and the orchards tried importing fruit from California - just not the same as tree ripened fruit!

My cherry trees have not blossomed yet, and the iris leaves that are up are hardy and will survive the cold. We have had warmer weather the last two days, hopefully to last the rest of the spring.

I have some hollyhocks and yellow iris to plant that were given to me on my birthday and it hasn't been warm enough to try! I hope to plant them Saturday if the weather stays dry and warm.

I don't know how much garden I will put out this year, as The Headache is not cooperating. I will supplement with offerings from the Farmer's Market the same as last year, but that is not nearly as satisfying as picking your own produce. The picture is of my tomatoes a couple of years ago BEFORE The Headache.

I was bored and did an online test of the "real age" of my cat today. She is about 89 in cat years but healthwise she is about 79 years according to the survey. Wilsy was born in 1990, making her 19 years old chronologically.

I believe Wilsy is the oldest cat I have had the privilege to feed, but my grandmother fed an old barn kitty that was soooooo old he was bald on the top of his head and had no teeth. She fed him warm oatmeal and meat drippings every morning all of my life that I could remember until they moved off the farm (about 24 years) and my older brother and sister remember even further back. It was always thrilling to be able to pet TomCat (as he was known) while he ate. He was extremely leary of people unless he was being fed. He lived a great portion of his life in and around my grandmother's chicken coop killing mice that liked to eat chicken feed. I think he had a great semi-independent life that many tom cats would admire and there are probably great-grandsons of TomCat still inhabiting the barns surrounding the farm.

The Headache was acting up last night, but has played nice most of the day until late this afternoon. I'm trying to outlast it tonight, and am scheduled to get a shot of toradol tomorrow. Hoping for the best!