first snow

[songbird]

i think it will mostly be melted by the end of the week but at least i did get some exercise in this morning shovelling. :)

my body appreciated it.

not much going on gardening wise outside, i need to get some grass out of a garden before it gets too cold for the winter, maybe Thursday if i'm lucky.

inside just doing the usual fall routine, getting some things sorted and cleaned up and put away.

managed to clear off a whole shelf on one of my bookcases of old computer printers that people had given me saying that they worked. the other day i needed to print something and my normal printer wasn't working so i tried out the ones i had been saving for such an event and found out they didn't work either. so the whole shelf gets to go out in the garage to wait until the next recycle drop off happens next spring and i get a shelf back. my original printer i hooked back up after figuring out where it was jammed and it printed fine. c'est la vie. :)

songbird

[Nyssa]

Back when I lived in the Toledo area ~40 years ago, our first snow was usually around Halloween or a few days before.

I heard someone on the radio in Toronto complaining that they had their first snow over the weekend.

I know that you're in mid-Michigan, so I'd say those data points are interesting and may be part of the climate change process that is occurring, at least if this seemingly later date for first snowfalls has become an annual event.

Anyone one else notice a later first-snow date that's started moving later on the calendar over the past few decades?

Nyssa, who thinks gathering more data is usually a good thing

[songbird]

Nyssa wrote: ...

last year i was outside in December weeding one of the gardens. i did get that very same garden weeded a few weeks ago. every little bit helps. :)

the changes here are more noticeable as a lack of much of a spring or fall season. we tend to go from pretty cold to hot and dry a lot more now than before in the spring. the fall season this year was no frost until quite late while last year we had frost in the middle of September (which is what i work towards for the average first frost date).

this past year was just odd in so many ways. the last part of the summer was very wet too often and i didn't get some gardens put up for winter yet. i hope we get a break for a week so i can get back to them. we'll see what happens.

songbird

[songbird]

Bob F wrote: ...

it's great when you can get things done and ready for the next season so you have time to do other things too.

yesterday the weather was warm enough that we got out and put some of the gardens up for winter. today i may be able to finish a pretty large area and get that ready too which means only some spot weeding needs to be done and whatever else i can do. today it will be colder but not as much wind so it will probably feel about the same out there overall.

i already have a big trench dug out for what i'll need to bury today and then once i fill that back in i can spread three buckets of ashes and get them dug in or raked in and that will be it for that space this season.

considering a few days ago i didn't think i was going to be able to get any of this done it is nice when we got a break in the weather and it is warm enough to take advantage of it.

the more items i can cross off my to do list before winter the more joy juice in my brain. :)

songbird

[Wilson]

You must be a little warmer where you live. Michigan I think you said. But curious as to what you bury in your trench? ;)

[songbird]

Wilson wrote: ...

yes, it was cold and a bit snowy this morning and then it got more windy and less snowy, but at least it wasn't rain and sleet or ice like they had in the forecast the day before. so that was good to see.

weeds and other garden debris, sometimes i also add ashes to those too since they'll eventually get mixed in more as i keep rotating through a garden.

if i'm lucky i'll get some bags of leaves or other organic materials i can put in there. things that will keep the worms happy. :)

songbird