Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Snowflakes Keep Falling on My Head...

While a fresh layer of snow blankets our corner of the province this evening, I realized how this snowstorm differs from those that preceded it. Snow on green grass = spring. Snow on yellow grass = winter. I just knew there was something different about this particular dump of snow.

I was busy spreading shredded bark mulch on the local church's perennial bed when the flakes started falling this afternoon. I'm glad I got the job done before the predicted 10 to 15 cm of snow arrives. Now the snow's moisture can percolate through the bark, watering the new spring growth. The new mulch will keep the moisture from evaporating away, producing a lush garden. Isn't that a positive spin on things?

While is wasn't particularly warm out yesterday, we did get to enjoy some sunshine. RLM took advantage of the newly opened fishing season and dashed out to Bigstone Lake to taunt some northern pike with shiny bits of metal. I took this picture of the American white pelicans on the Montreal River. These huge birds were probably here for the same reason as the humans: the fish. At the moment, many folks are busy catching sucker fish. Local wisdom is that the canned suckerfish meat tastes "just like salmon". "Sucker cheeks" are a local delicacy, particularly among the Aboriginal folks. Personally, I'll stick with my delicious wild Pacific salmon steaks glazed in citrus and maple syrup.

The dwarf cosmos seedlings are much happier under the lights than they would have been outdoors. I'm giving these plants a kickstart before sending them over to my sister-in-law's flowerbeds in June.

4 comments:

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Oh my goodness girl !
And I was complaining that Ontario was so chilly .. when we saw the snow fall on the news .. I felt so sorry for you guys! It truly has been such rotten weather for you .. here's hoping for much better Spring days ahead ? Great pictures even under the stress of the weather : )

Cicero Sings said...

We had snow this morning too!

Gardenista said...

Two days later the snow is now mostly melted. Thankgoodness!

Northern Shade said...

It looks like we got the same snowfall on Tuesday. I hope that you are getting the same sunny weekend as us now, and that your garden is greening up. I laughed in recognition at the snow on green grass = spring line.