I am very concerned about the future water issues your area, and therefore all of us, will be dealing with. Since the 'rainy season' is over, with a record low amount of precip, I hope the weather varies from the norm and you get rainfall out of season.

I ventured out in the sunny, windy cold and took pictures of what is up. All last year's onions are shining through! Little Star of Bethlehem greens are up. Little bits of other bulb plant greens are starting. Iris swords poke through where the snow has melted. No white violets yet. Last year, they were blooming the last week in February. I ordered copper markers that one can indent with names.

I am surprised that you can see the bare ground. Good for you. Not possible here.

We're concerned too, Bonnie. California supplies a lot of produce to the rest of the country.
We're thinking of ideas to further reduce water usage. There's a green bucket in the bathroom
that collects the water in the shower while we're waiting for it to get hot. We use that water to
flush the toilet. Chris has some ideas for collecting any kitchen sink water in a barrel to use for watering
the plants. We use biodegradable dish soap. I'm glad that irises are somewhat drought-tolerant!

I pruned for an hour after working in the studio. The roses were overdue for it. I'm enjoying beautiful weather,
in spite of wanting rain!

Have you thought about catching the water you shower with for use on the garden? Also, don't pour any water you use in cooking, like boiling potatoes, down the drain, either put it in the refrigerator to use in soups or let it cool and put it on the garden. I wish I knew of ways to help but I am glad you and Chris are taking further measures to conserve. I really feel for you guys having to change your everyday way of life but as CA goes dry we are all going to cry. Unless the west coast gets significant rain events soon......

I did not do anything in the garden today. It is 44 degrees, rainy and windy. Too cold to be outdoors. I did go out and move a potted iris under shelter so if the bloom opens it will not get rain ruined.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions, Bonnie. It does take some adjusting to change
one's ways! I try to think how difficult it must have been for people in the old days.
We are about 20 miles from the ocean as the crow flies, so we do get a bit of moisture
in the form of fog and a bit of drizzle from time to time. Our garden is looking splendid right now!

Lucy, the snowless spots are on the southwest side of the house where wind blew drifts further on and also the shoveled path to fill the oil tank. Most of the yard is still 2 - 4 feet deep, depending where shoveling made huge mountains of snow. I am grateful it isn't all melting at once. Plenty seeps in the cracks of the granite foundation and runs out the corner sump.

A good friend came to the house and went through my closet. She removed all the clothes that I will not be able to put over my head while my arms are being fixed and healing. Items are put where I can reach them while not moving my biceps from my side. I think I look like a penguin. It is funny when I kick a chair to the counter and climb up to get something with my shortened reach. It is just like my 3 year old friend has to do. Surgery is scheduled for April 30th. End July, you know I will be moving my right arm with my knee like I did last year to weed. Dunno how much the docs will want the right arm healed before we do the left. For now, I have started many new houseplants. They are light and don't require digging. I hope to have a few hundred to sell. I certainly will be an odd penguin style massage therapist, so I had to do something. Guess it is a good time to finish school work and learn languages....no, not penguin. The good news is, anchoring biceps and rotator cuffs is generally extremely successful. I will get Bionic Garden Arms!

A penguin! Do let your rotor cuff heal after surgery Linnea. It's at least 6 months of doing nothing, but that's nothing when compared to a lifetime of pain and lack of shoulder rotation. My Mother had hers done a couple of years ago and I had to stop her from trying to do too much too soon. Hang in there, it be all over before you know it. As I mentioned to someone else recently, you'll be back in the garden the next time you see your irises in bloom.

I also use buckets inside the shower and use them to water my garden. To keep my garden alive, I let my lawns 3 die. I no longer water my fruit trees and I removed (they died because I stopped watering them) my lavenders I had along my fence line in my field. I have shut off valves on the end of every hose. I've installed drip irrigation throughout the whole front yard. I make sure to wash a full load of clothes and take shorter showers then I used to. This may sound gross, but I don't flush the toilet after every use. "If it's yellow, let it mellow...if it's brown, flush it down." I've made adjustments and I fear what else I will have to let die to keep other things alive.

I'll need you all to keep posting photos so I can use my drool in the garden too.

Water on, soap on, Water off. Lather good, scrub. Water on rinse. Water off.

Water is plentiful in Maine, but it isn't cheap. I use all earth friendly product, except when I color my hair. Well, with no arms, I won't be hauling any water this year, but I have often wanted to siphon the shower water out the window and into the garden. The washer hose would be easy.

Best to all making do with their problems.

What worries me with the snow is the 7 ft high pile at the end of the driveway. It isn't a busy street, but people will zoom along. Perhaps when it gets above 30° more can be shaves off the street side to have a better view.

We do pretty much the same Rob.. although we were able to keep most of the lawn limping along last year.. This year, I think we're going to have to let them go.. We've got a lot of lawn.. Last year I only watered the younger trees in the orchard once during the summer. We have been able to draw water from the little creek next to the house, but it's barely flowing already this year. The well could keep up with household needs last year, but we've got tenants in the cottage now who are home most of the time (they're Iris people too!)... Ayway, we can only hope for unseasonal rain at this point... It's already dry and dusty out there....

I got a start on bed preparation yesterday afternoon.....weeded, spread alfalfa meal, ..hoed it in,...... spread corn gluten meal. I'll wait with the borer control, for a while yet. Got the first 4 beds done (but they are small ones!), but have a long way to go . We have lots of "other commitments" today, so I probably won't get too much done, outside.
I'd like to get them all done before the weekend, as they say rain /snow showers....you know....March is a screwy month ...it hit 80 degrees on Monday, and they want snow flurries Friday night, and Saturday

I am getting about one to two inches of snow Thursday night into Friday morning. Yuk!

I have only weeded and fixed freeze heaves on about 36' of garden (36' x 2'). Only about 15 more of those to go.

I am sorry, Greg, that you may get more snow. It is extremely rare for us to get a snow in March.

It will be in 60's here today as opposed to the 40's of yesterday. It is cloudy and damp but I will take some photos for my records of the progress on some of the irises. My plum tree is in full blooms and looks like a white cloud. I hope we don't have any more heavy frosts. Lows supposed to be in the 40's for a week. I hope it dries out enough for me to get back into the iris beds. All of the wasps, bees, crickets, frogs, lizards, snakes, voles and ants are out and being busy. They think we are going to get an early summer.

Overnight all the bradford pear trees went into full bloom. They line a lot of streets around here (even though they break easily). The maples and oaks are in bud, and I have loads of flower buds on my dogwood. But everything is still behind. The flowering quince still hasn't flowered, and the cherry and tulip trees are a ways off.

No work in the garden yesterday. Have a pallet of stone being delivered tomorrow morning so I can start making and expanding some garden beds. It is suppose to rain tonight into tomorrow, so Saturday I hope to dig out some sod (while the ground is soft) and add space to my Louisiana beds down by the creek. The ice storm we had did some damage to my pale yellow LA, but James Dickinson looks to have lots of increases. And I will be adding some more varieties this year.

25° high winds I was hoping for warmer temp for more snow melt. Dusting to an inch of snow coming Sat. Glad that is all as we have an iris meeting the next day.

I hope you all stay safe during this next bout of snow. With the melting and refreezing, I am sure you have some very slick ice, so be really careful walking!!!

Everyone - stay safe! Slow down, if you can.