Who Ordered the Weather?

Will it ever warm up? Our days are hovering in the low 60’s and the nights in the low 40’s. Presumably our last frost date is about May 9. We may have no more frosty weather, but it sure is not balmy by any stretch of the imagination.

 

It has been so wet that no one can put in a garden yet, not to mention most veggie seeds need warmer soil than we have now. Low lying areas are still retaining water; of course the duckies love that. It’s nice the aquifers are being recharged and the dams are full for the summer drought. Yet, I WANT TO PLAY IN THE DIRT!

 

There have been a few days warm enough for the bees to be about. I haven’t seen a bumble bee, yet; but there are scads of honey bees this year! What a joy!

 

With Global Warming all the rage these days, I thought I might just list off some of the strange sights I’ve seen over the years:

• Roses blooming on Christmas – on the sheltered south side of a neighbor’s house, circa 1965
• 18” of snow during Spring Break, 1960 – It covered the blooming daffodils!
• 3’ of snow in Eugene, OR January 1969 -- It closed down the city since Eugene never did get much, if any snow
• There was at least one foot of snow on the Willamette Valley floor at least once a year up until the early ‘70’s. Then, there was almost no snow until the mid 80’s. Snow was intermittent for the next 20 years. Now, we pretty much expect a week of subfreezing weather and snow in January or February every year.
• We usually plant our garden on Memorial Day. One year it was so hot, the rain turned to steam in mid-fall. What a sight! The rain clouds were visible through a fog. Selene was just little and she spent most of the day on her back, in the grass, watching the sky change with each passing minute.
• Memorial Day flowers – cool Spring we set out peonies, warm Springs get roses.
• Unusual flower combinations are frequent in Spring. Flowers that bloom based on day length may combine with those that bloom based on temperature. You never know what you may get.