We skipped out for a week of reprieve from winter and painting
to go to Tofino for a few days (see malloysatlarge.blogspot.com). Departing here on April 8, there was still 4”
of snow on the ground around the house.
Returning April 12, the snow was completely gone from the yard. Some patches remain in the forest, but they
are diminishing quickly.
The first hints of spring were cherry trees coming into
bloom in the orchards around here. I
didn’t realize how many kinds are grown until I started seeing the different
coloured blossoms—white, light pink, dark pink, all coming out in their own
time.
More sparsely, but nonetheless welcome, we are getting
wildflowers poking out on our grassy slopes.
Sagebrush buttercup and western spring beauty are in bloom, but these
guys are only 2-3” high at max, given they are alpine wildflowers.
A more obvious sign is a male dusky grouse, displaying in
our side yard. Definitely a hunk of
burning love.
When we purchased the house, there were obvious signs of
plans for landscaping that never came to fruition. We have engaged a contractor who will be out
next week to do measurements, and hopefully this will get started shortly.
The before and after pictures should be more dramatic than the painting ones.
This will be a bit of a short blog because the Tofino one is
more interesting, but stay tuned for more spring updates. Happy Earth Day!!
