Cabin Fever

How if everyone coping with all the snow? I can't remember the last time we had this much snow all at once. I've been browsing my spring catalogs. and doing some projects that I always can't seem to find the time to do, otherwise. hostajim1

Hostajim working on webpage for 2009 otherwise would go nuts as we are not used to this weather for this long. Got all my sewing crafts done and shipped or stored for better weather to deliver.

Hoping and praying for better weather ASAP. Feel for all the people without power and the ones where the tree limbs came down and ruined roofs and cars.

D

Jim - smiling here, because this has forced me to relax.
Being without 4WD presents a challenge to get anywhere, so everything gets prioritized according to necessity. The road conditions have curtailed any excursions, so I'm having to get creative to deal with my hyperactivity. I've already cleaned my house; guess I could start again!
I've already planned out the veg garden for the spring.
Catalogs - I've only received a few & they're all at work, which I cannot get to!
I am thankful that we did not lose power - that would definitely have kept me busy.....

Question: except for the holidays, what are you normally doing at this time of year?
Iris: How did you fare with the snow & storms? Seems like everyone in OR got slammed well before those of us in the Seattle Metro area.

Ice vs wheels = ice wins!
For those of us that have been subjected to comments about how poorly the local drivers perform in snow, I saw some great footage of various places in the Midwest & New England states, and yes, people do spin out, and slide & abandon their vehicles.
Guess it doesn't matter if the terrain is flatter...

Katye, this time of year I'm germinating hosta seeds, from my hybrid crosses last summer, and growing seedlings all winter, on a plant stand. 5 shelves 2 double lights per shelf. so it's germinate, pot up to cell packs, then pot up to individual cells. then in the spring they go out to the greenhouse. that does keep me busy for a couple hours, depending on what needs to be done. but I still have a lot of time to fill. I guess I'll get some cleaning done. and then check out garden sites on the internet, Jim

Cabin fever it is indeed! I went for a walk down my hill a bit earlier (only slipped twice and luckily caught myself!) and there's a power line down across the road. Not sure what kind of power as I still have mine, but not the kind of thing I want to see! I can't take the puppy out much as the snow is too deep for him and he gets really cold, too. So here I am. I hate to admit it, but I've been watching TV!!!!

I potted up about 50 hellebore seeds this fall and have seven up about an inch. Wheee!

Cabin fever just cost me on line at Brecks $100.00 What was I thinking LOL ordered more Dahlias, may lose what I have. Not to count the $ spent on getting the well back up and running. And then getting the car out so I can go to work, Then Christmas, O'my what have I done??????????????
Merry Christmas All
Happier times

Just got the new catalog from Bluestone Perennials.

It seems like I've spent all my time shoveling, pushing and digging cars out and walking up and down my hill. LOL.

I do love this snow, but I'm really looking forward to seeing my yard again. Some of the paths we made in the snow have given me good ideas of how to extend my beds.

I got that cat. too and have been drooling each time I look at it. I want More and more, and this and that. LOL
I really like the way the Cat. is made. Gives you the real names.

A snowy pic.

Hi there, I told my husband good thing the house is such a mess. I got it pretty clean even the sock bin cleaned out old socks thrown t shirts sorted even cleaned the pantry. My taxes are almost done. I have ordered some great seeds and plants. We probably have at least 20 inches. A few big branches snapped today in the snow. It was very wet and I had a clematis in the maple and it was like a huge net up there. My poor boxwoods were thanking me every time I knocked the snow off. I think this was tough on the plants. I know a lot of the conifers got pretty splayed out with the snow. The plants in the green house don't look too bad and I don't know how the nursery is . some of the gutters got ripped of with the snow sliding down. Can't wait till spring. Good thing I have ordered some many cool thing for next season. Bring it on.

Hey Heidi, glad you are okay, weather wise, sorry about the lose.
Merry Christmas to you and all, been fun here, NOT ... LOL

I'm thankful I spent the money and time to insulate the greenhouse with polycarbonate before this weather hit. I've been able to keep it close to 40 degrees with a small electric heater on 'low', still don't look forward to that electric bill. To reduce cabin fever, I've been getting out in the neighborhood and walking around some. It just looks so pretty.
I figure I pretty much have lost a lot of the things I put in last year because they were only marginally hardy.
Heidi, sorry to hear about your bananas on the other thread. That stinks. I spent a great deal of time knocking snow off of shrubs. Will probably lose a large part of a big old camelia which bent over double from the snow load before I knew what was happening. Also had to turn off the pond, which I am loathe to do. I can't wait until the hose thaws out so the autofill starts working again.

My dogwood is suffering, as are my rhodies, which have been damaged heavily. I'll have to cut them way back, which is good. Maybe this is the year I'll get them moved.

Walking up the road today was downright dangerous, with the snaping limbs and snow clumps falling around me. I have one fairly large limb in the front yard.

My neighbors invited me up today to build an igloo (pictures later) and then I had a delicious dinner there with stuffing made using chestnuts and shitake mushrooms. OMG it was so good.

More snow play tomorrow. Maybe even some sledding down my road - even if I have to do it alone.

Let's see, while snowed in I have taken care of my doggy who has been ailing, cleaned the house (which I rarely do, preferring to be outside), filed a stack of papers, dug the Christmas tree out of a snow bank because we had gotten it from the neighbors a week ago (a fir that was too close to 2 others) and I had left it outside until I got the house cleaned, and played games around the card table.....oh, and found a gazebo I would really love to have online at amazon. Too bad it is really more than I can justify spending.

I was planning to diminish the pot ghetto on the back porch, but hadn't realized how easily it could disappear given the right atmospheric conditions.

Pot ghetto is looking good. These look similar.^_^

LOL! Now that's looking at the bright side!

My work with building a compost pile got cut short by the snowfall, and when I go out to throw kitchen scraps on the pile, the crows descend to gobble it up as it is too frozen to dig the new stuff in or cover it with a scoop from the manure pile.

One other thing I have been doing is tromping out potential garden bed outlines in the snow. Then I can visualize better how the whole might look and come inside to get warm and look out the window to see how it looks from there.

mauyhillfarm, maybe you could try vermiculture. then put your kitchen scraps in the worm bed. I use the earthworm compost in the spring, summer, when I make my compost tea. it's full of good bugs. I use it everywhere. in the Hosta beds, Vegetable garden, on the lawn. even in the greenhouse. Jim

We do have a bit of snow here on the east side. There really is a table and chairs under there. Raking snow off the roofs and clearing the pathways (again!) is on the list today.

Mauryhill, I like your idea of garden bed design and layout plans in the snow. I started to walk the yard when the snow was first here, not so much lately as we've been struggling with trying to get water in until they can deal with our well issues. But I'm tired of being in the house. Santa brought snow shoes for Christmas and we've been out with those, I'll use them today to tread on new bed borders and then look from upstairs at my work.

Hostajim, do you really end up with much from vermicomposting? I've been toying with the idea but it seems like a lot of set up for not much compost... I'd love to hear more. I can't wait to thaw out to start the compost area - actually I can't wait for spring to get back outside and play. Never thought I'd say I prefer rain but at least I'd be outside and working. I'm not much for the inside stuff, still have things in boxes and I'm tired of trying to get unpacked.

lbf, I like your attitude. I think we are all kindred spirits in prefering to be outside. Outside yesterday shoveling the driveway was much preferable to cleaning house today. Either way my back hurts. But I sneeze more inside.^_^

LBBF, vermicomposting is beneficial for making compost tea. there's a lot of nutrients in worm castings. in the summer I get fungus gnats and they're a pain. I keep layering the top with shredded newpaper. and that keeps them down. I probably get 50lbs a year out of the one rubber maid, bed that I have. I feed my Koi the worms in the summer, they suck em up like spagetti. I buy anywhere from 15 to 40 yards of Tagro each year and spread that in the gardens. I cleared a lot of new beds last summer. and gave them the full treatment of Tagro and compost tea. the soil was poor in nutrients. the older beds I just use the compost tea. and the tagro every other year. Jim

Willow- kindred spirits yes, my house is hardly ever clean. I'm not even unpacked yet....might take a long time as I've got lots of play places outside. We're still dealing with snow. 12" give or take on the ground but now it's slushy and hard to maneuver any vehicles in. Refill water truck couldn't get up the hill even with chains yesterday... boo hoo! However, wonderful neighbor somewhere plowed to dirt almost to our drive way edge... Spent several hours fussing with the slush. Used the gator and a nice old iron fence piece to drag the driveway in the hopes we can get water in soon. So glad to have big kid and girlfriend home for a visit, we'd like them to get to shower and enjoy their stay. Little kiddos don't really care either way. Most of our indoor time has been spent cooking... second love to gardening, one I share with DSS.

Jim, excuse my transplant ignorance - Tagro? I keep toying with vermicomposting but I thought they needed to be kept warm in winter, cool in summer to thrive. That usually means indoor locations and DH wouldn't go for that. He tolerates lots of crazy things but that would be an issue. I have toyed with digging up the center isle on a 4 stall barn and using the below ground area for worms. I'm just not sure we'd be able to keep them warm enough to thrive. Also not sure how I'd keep horses from going through the floor/ceiling.

Your gardens sound wonderful - hostas are my first love! I've finally secured some shade area for gardening and can't wait to get started on my area of the garden. Promised kiddos first dibs on their growing items.

A old bathtub in the stall will work. Instead of digging it out.
Love worms
I had a article, but can not find it now. On how to make a worm bin, for inside the house for garbage. was to cool. I think Katie59 made one. I had a computer problem and had to download everything, maybe she still has it. Katie where are you, Help.
Just a thought.

LB, instead of bringing them in I wrap insulation around the rubber maid bin that I have them in. under the eves of the house. they will get through the winter okay. Jim

I may have to vermicompost because there is no compost tea for me in the winter. The pile freezes solid. Good Idea. Now to talk my wife into it. We have many bathtubs and I only would need one. Lets see Honey you know how much I love you...........

Okay, you've given me some ideas. The horses will come home this spring when the riding arena gets finished and I'll be able to keep them in the barn where it's warmer. The tack room will be insulated as our outdoor cats come in at night to sleep with the horses. The worms can live in there insulated in the winter. Now to do some reading and get a better understanding of what's needed before I start.

I found it.

http://www.king5.com/video/ciscoe-index.html?nvid=179227

Thank you Tils that was a great viedo.

Thank you, I saved it to watch later as my computer won't load it right now.

Hi - yes, I made a worm bin last year. Finding the pieces took a little work, but making it didn't take long at all. A note, though - if you're drilling a hole in plastic, do it outside. I got an awful headache from the fumes!! I posted a picture somewhere - I'd be happy to post a picture of it again if you want to see it . . . once the snow has melted.

My neighbor has a compost bin and doesn't heat it at all during the winter. The worms seem to do just fine. It's about 2 feet from her back door and is about 3 1/2 feet tall and 1 1/2 feet square.

I have red worms also and they are happy in the plastic compost bin outside. I have had them for several years. They started out in a small bin but that was too time consuming for me to handle. So I just take all my food scraps (except meat) out and dump it in with the yard stuff.

I have too many critters for that. I definitely need to keep food scraps under cover.

Walked up the hill this morning in the slush and observed deer and coyote tracks . . .

It has a lid and is very thick walled.

I am on for the vermicomposting. My start will be next year or maybe this if I can get through the frozen compost pile to the worms. This is the plant that needs year round compost tea.

That is beautiful.. May I ask what it is. I don't know diddly about houseplants. Is it fragrant?

It is a semi Bonsi rubber tree. Quite old inherited from my grand parents. No it is not fragrant until your nose is right next to the blossom. But I have root pruned the base to keep it controlled above. So it needs good soil and nutrition to keep beautiful.

What an AWESOME inheritance! What memories you must have. I know you will take excellent care of it. Actually, the first thing that came to my mind was a rubber tree, just wasn't sure.