Have you taken advantage of these nice few days of 50+ degree weather. I took the Christmas lights down,trimmed my apple and pear tree,weeded and straw mulched my strawberry mound that I didn't get to before winter came,and tomorrow will fertilize my Sq. Ft. garden boxes and build a couple of hot boxes and might even set my hoop house up.

To feel the dirt in my hands is a sure cure all for the winter time blues!

-- TomK(mich) (tjk@cac.net), January 26, 2002

Answers

No, I sat in the house and sewed all day! My husband power-cleaned the dog kennels, though. And I did make the kids work outside. They picked up all the garbage that the melting snow revealed. It is quite springy out, isn't it??

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), January 26, 2002.

Well, I'm more likely to feel slush under my boots than dirt between my fingers, but that certainly hasn't prevented me from enjoying the nice weather. I did some apple tree pruning and played with the kids. I messed around in the barn and took a load of soiled bedding to a friend to amend her compost bin. If I feel like it, I'll prune another apple tree tomorrow. My bees have certainly been taking advantage of the weather. Until this thaw they hadn't been out in about 6 weeks. Can you imagine...the poor girls have had to wait 6 weeks to take a powder...glad I'm not a honey bee!

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), January 26, 2002.

Yes, we are enjoying the spring like weather to the fullest. Today we spent most of the day down on the cliff behind the house me chainsawing sassafrass trees and the wife carring the pieces out of the woods and to the truck. We got two truck loads cut and one hauled to the house. We use the sassafrass wood to make vases, bowls, which we turn on wood lathes and then carve the outsides with leaves, vines, flowers what ever strikes our fancy. Some of it we carve into wood spirits and other carvings, horses, cowboys, fish. Its a pretty good carving wood has a nice grain. And before someone asks it smells good while carving but the oil in the wood evaporates to the point that it stops smelling even before we apply a finish. Usually its cold and really a miserable job to get the next years supply in but today was a joy.

-- David (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), January 26, 2002.

I assembled one of the greenhouses today in almost 70 degree weather. If I can continue streamlining my chore time, I may erect the second one.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 26, 2002.

50+ degrees,, but still have a foot of snow,, the bees where taking cleansing flights,,so I was able to check them

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), January 27, 2002.

Yes, it was 45*F here yesterday,and felt like the last days of March. This is the WEIRDEST winter like this I've ever seen, and I've lived here all my life! I love it but keep wondering about ice storms, like the one in 1998. Anyway, I changed the oil in my tractor yesterday,and since that involves getting down on the ground on your back it was sure nice to do it not in the snow!

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), January 27, 2002.

Stan what part of MI are you from at least i think you are from earlyier posts. I live 20 miles south of Marquette i dont think we hit 40 i was inside doing drywall. We maybe 10 inches in the woods at this time the weather has been great all winter. several years ago it was like this and feb we got about 4 feet and on march 12 it was 65 for a week lost all our snow then. Im planning on adry summer. were supose to get cold weather this week so we'll see

-- bob vadnais (robertvadnais@aol.com), January 27, 2002.

Today I rode my favorite horse for two and a half hours in the beautiful Cedar Creek Ranger district near Columbia, Missouri. It was around 68 degrees today and my riding buddies and I just couldn't get over the awesome weather. I really needed that!

-- Debbie in MO (risingwind@socket.net), January 28, 2002.

OK you guys, stand by for invasion! The Oregon trail runs both ways! We've had enough rain lately to drown all our frogs but that doesn't bother us on the Upper Left Coast. But ... BWAAAH! IT"S SNOWING, RIGHT DOWN TO THE BEACH!

-- Griff in OR (griff@hangnail.com), January 28, 2002.

We have buttercups blooming and I'm afraid the fruit trees are starting too bud....last year all our pear tree blossums were killed by a late one day snow....what weird weather...

we'll likely have some really cold weather yet, even in March and April!

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), January 28, 2002.

Enjoy your nice weather. The typically warm, wet Pacific Northwest coast has all the arctic cold and snow for now! We'll be glad to send it back east where it belongs, but I'm afraid we're still in for it for a few more days. But, ummm, thanks for sharing...(I think...)

-- sheepish (WA) (the_original_sheepish@hotmail.com), January 28, 2002.

Stan, It sure is weird that you can lived on the west side of the state and have 10 to 12 inches of snow and here in the southeast side we have nothing. But you did get hit with alot of lake effect snow earlier.

-- TomK(mich) (tjk@cac.net), January 28, 2002.

Hellooooo....please take this weather back! We now have 8" of snow and are getting tired of it....Who would like some?

The snow really was lovely in the full moonlight last night, but I'm afraid we really don't know what to do with it. Help!

-- sheepish (WA) (the_original_sheepish@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.