Melting

The land has turned into a giant sponge. We still have about two feet of snow, but it's melting quickly and the ice trails are collapsing. The greenhouse is flooded with four inches of water that is seeping in as the snow outside melts. We have tiny lettuces in the beds, and flats full of broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, all the usual cole crop suspects. Creasy greens about to come up. I wonder if we are the first to grow creasies in Alaska. Ever had creasies? They grew wild at Bold Moon in North Carolina. We'd mow the patch every fall, and the seeds would lay dormant all winter under their nice warm mulch. Early spring, those beautiful heart-shaped leaves would form in rosettes and we'd pick tendrils. Even now, my mouth waters for a good mess of creasies. Steamed just lightly with a splash of vinegar and a dash of pepper. Yum.

But this is Alaska, and even things like creasies must be grown inside, with special insulation, heat, and beds raised from the snow melt. >sigh< Soon we will be feasting on the six kinds of lettuce planted in the greenhouse, and musing about this past winter, swapping "it was so cold that..." stories.

At least one more major earthquake this April--in this one, the floor rumbled, but Kali didn't awaken. Kayt was gone again--down to San Diego for a conference. She has missed both of the good earthquakes this year! Doh!

Only a handful of redpolls left at the feeder. A mated pair of Hairy Woodpeckers, and also a pair of Downy Woodpeckers. Yesterday, a job candidate and I spotted what I think was a Sharp-Shinned Hawk wheeling over the baby reindeer patch at the U. And, of course, the Canada Geese arrived last week at Creamer's Field. I was there the first day, and saw eight. This weekend Kayt counted several dozen. Life is good, spring is here.

In the pix above, Kayt, with Ursa's help, dug out the snow where she built our greenhouse in April 2006.