Lisa spent the week in LA and took the red-eye home last night. While I was waiting for her, I scooped as much crud as I could out of the pond, and turned the pump back on.
We lost all our fish for the second year in a row. We told the landscaper we wanted it four feet deep, it isn’t, the fish die. The water was already getting green, but that should clear up with the biofilter coming back online. I dumped in half a bottle of Microbe-lift to help get it going.
Lisa drove up just as I was cleaning up, and rather than go in, we took the first walk of the year. The new garden and about a third of the old are still snow covered, but where the snow is gone, things are popping up. Daffs of course, and species tulips, and a few bulbs I can’t identify. The crocuses are conspicuous by their absence.
Among the standard perennials, the poppies, daisies and hollyhocks are up, while the lambs ear and foxgloves just stayed green under the snow.
The lavender also seems to be evergreen, or ever-gray. Our two older plants lost about half their leaves, and the newer one seems completely damage free. After the last two winters, those guys have had everything zone 5 can throw at them, but haven’t really had the full zone 4 treatment yet. The winter of 2002-03 was cold enough, but with 30 inches of snow on the ground, plants were warm and snug. This year had more normal snowpack, but was warmer.
I’ve been trying to decide if it would be too inconsiderate to start up the tractors while Lisa naps. I’ve decided it’s okay to fire up the engines (which will need jumps), but that I shouldn’t start the compressor to pump up their tires. But at least it’s outside.
