Shoveling snow. Looking out the window so as to decide when to go out to shovel snow.

It's okay. I really want the snow to stay around and it may not, at lower elevations. We have a serious need for it to build up a little up higher. Please!

We are supposed to have some rain tomorrow! Warm enough for rain in early January!! "Normal" is the forecast after that. I'm okay as long as it gets back to doing what it is supposed to do. I'm nearly barmy from lack of sunlight but that's something different.

Steve
hugging his seed catalogs!

digit,

I'm glad it's warm enough for rain your way and hope it doesn't melt all of your snow! The better half has been putting the snow blower to good use lately. Maybe I'd be better off if I shoveled a little myself.

I think you've hit on my problem, lack of sunlight! It's been overcast a lot, I'm not used to that.

It's 2 degrees now and is supposed to climb to 48 today. Huge winds are expected to hit the mountains and foothills, but light winds down here. I'm looking forward to a warm up! It'll be interesting to see how much snow melts this week. We have a slight chance for more snow Tuesday night into Weds. with 22 degrees as the high Weds. Even that is much better than it's been.

I think we've hit close to 20 below twice already this winter season.

I've only gotten a Gurney's and a Stark's catalog, not enough there to hug, lol! That tells me it's been too long since I've ordered seeds.

Barb

We are having a melt-down but it isn't quite as scary as it could be.

The rain has fallen almost continuously, replacing the continuous snowfall of yesterday. From sundown yesterday, that has encouraged a lot of melting but the rain has never been heavy. It has cooled since about 5am when it was 37o to 34o! Same rain, now midday ... but I think the clouds are lighter and the air temperature is going down to "snow temperature." We won't get to the predicted high of 40o at this rate. Foggy! 1/8th mile visibility at the airport.

I shoveled the sidewalk for the school kids but might have made thing more slippery! Frozen concrete with standing water! I think I'll go out with the push broom and see if that won't improve traction. Wish me luck!

Steve
expecting a little melting each day but, maybe, without anymore rain ... then back to snow

Good luck and be careful! I have a few spots I should chip some ice off of myself. Thanks for the motivation!

The sun is setting and it's 47 here now. Quite an improvement.

I think I have made my dislike (dislike? No, more like seething, and unrelenting hatred) of snow and cold quite apparent in the past. Nevertheless, It never fails that my love of goose hunting has me outdoors in -20* temperatures with a blowing wind that freezes the boogers to your facial hair on contact. Last Tuesday was cold, but, the sun came out and although it only barely breached the 0* threshold, it was not as unpleasant as it should have been. Coupled with the fact the geese wouldn't stop flying, and continued to keep coming in wave after wave, even as we packed up our gear and headed home, regardless of Adele Arakawa's warning of "record" low temps, it was an awesome day.

Fast forward a week. What a lovely surprise when I looked at the forecast for Ft. Morgan last night, and say 30+! It was going to be a donggone heatwave! Boy, was I wrong. When the sun FINALLY decided to break through the clouds, we MIGHT have seen 30*, but that's debatable. And as soon as it came, the temperature swiftly plummeted right back down to somewhere between frostbite and frigid. After spending an hour shoveling the truck out of snow drift on our way to the money hole at 4 AM and having to settle for a vastly sub-par plan B, where we got ONE goose to come anywhere within a hundred miles of us, it turned out to be a pretty miserable day.

The one nice part was I fell asleep, and was able to forget about the fact my hands felt like they had been smashed by a sledge hammer, and dream about this summers tomatoes. That is, if it ever decides to warm up enough to grow tomatoes (which I certainly hope comes sooner rather than later, goose season ends in February regardless of the weather wants to cooperate with my warm season obsession or not).

Stay warm, folks! And remember, as my buddy as the gas station told me yesterday "only 57 more days until Spring"

56 days now, Zach. I hope you're not stuck in the freezing drizzle and you bag your limit!

Zach, if it helps, we made goose broth from a goose gift, yesterday.

Today, DW has some nice Tiger Eye beans boiling in that broth.

I grew just enuf of those last year for this one small pot. But, I've got Jacob's Cattle beans. (And, more broth ;o)

Steve

No, Im at home today. The peanut goes back to school and my wife has to work, so, no hunting for me. Then I'm going out to Arkansas with my brother next week and my buddy, who is the only person who enjoys (or maybe just tolerates) sitting in a freezing cold blind with me, his wife is having surgery so, I may be out of the game the rest of the season.

That sounds pretty good Steve! Its a dreary, snowy day again here on the front range, and I think big pot of beans cooked in goose broth would be just the ticket, along with perusing my Johnny's catalog that came on Monday! But, I have to go fill out my course list for the V.A. this afternoon instead.

Here's hoping that this current chill blows over without much accumulation. My back is sore from shoveling and I am tired of looking at the same pile of snow since Christmas Day.

I've been feeling the winter blues myself. I've been going through a lot of my gardening supplies and checking what I have and will be needing for this spring. Just like you treebarb, I too have been getting sick of the snow and being cooped up. As soon as the soil thaws I'll be planting my cold hearty crops. What time do you all usually start planting?

I'll start onions, shallots, and leeks indoors the first week of February.

Welcome, Idaho Kev!

We're glad you found us. I think the peeps with grow lights will be starting things soon, if they haven't already. I think our 2 Bonnies start peppers about now. I'm using an east facing bay window with natural sunlight, so I'll start about mid February for peppers and March 1st with tomatoes. I'll start zucchini and eggplant later as they don't transplant as well. We get late frosts sometimes, so the cold-tender plants aren't really safe outside until mid-May. And then I'm still ready with pots and rocks to cover plants for really late cold snaps.

Space inside is an issue for me without a greenhouse.

I've been sowing seed since Dec. 20th in the cold frames and tunnels. Quite a bit has sprouted in the cold frames including beets, lettuce, spinach, cilantro, chard and mache. The soil is still about 50F in the frames so I thought germination would be decent. The tunnels on the other hand don't hold onto heat as well so it's a bit of an experimental winter sowing. In the tunnels I've sown in the last 10 days lettuce, spinach, onions, peas, radish and a variety of Asian greens.