Strange Spring Weather

Last week Kuro and I went walking not long after the sun had gone down. The light was in transition between daylight and streetlight.

Daffodil posed quietly but Kuro moved in the low light so the slow shutter speed blurred his head.

 These first few photos were taken on February 22, 2017, long before the plants are feeling the juices of spring, normally. This year apparently isn't normal.

This rhododendron is really confused.

The owner of this lawn planted crocuses a few years ago. Now they have naturalized and pop up
in large groups of sisters. Normally there is plenty of time for the crocuses to bloom before first
lawn mowing but this year the grass is growing already. The owner is going to have long grass
before the crocuses are done blooming.

The pure colors of the primroses come through better in the dim light. Why do red primroses
have yellow centers when yellow primroses have no red in their hearts?

These daffodils and emerging tulips are located on the north side of the rockery but they are ahead of the game.

Not far from our house there is a nice house occupied by two women who have been working long hours on their yard. They recently had these beautiful rock walls built. The rocks were laid up dry without mortar or concrete backing. The mason had a good eye for shapes and lines.

The stairs in the next photo are in the middle distance.

The rock walls mirror the curve of the stairs. Every time we pass I admire the angles of the corner rocks. Note the acute angles on the left and obtuse on the right side. 

Kuro checks out the flower beds and rock walls only to detect the scent or sight of another dog. When on the leash he is very protective and noisy, barking and straining at the leash to get at that intruder who is daring to walk near out route. When he is off the leash he acts more friendly, running up and performing the sniff routine with the other dog.

I'd let him walk off the leash (and sometimes do on deserted streets) but the attraction of a strange dog makes him forget about the danger posed by drivers who probably couldn't see a dark dog on a dark street. Like a texting driver who knows the danger but can't delay immediate gratification, he would ignore the danger to satisfy the immediate urge.

Last Sunday morning, almost as an afterthought, I went out to look at the shivering early birds braving the remnants of Saturday night's snow. Those few days of cold weather slowed down the growth spurt. Our weather forecaster is calling for warmer weather this week so they will resume their race to flower early. 

Our neighbor used to have a large forsythia bush so I could note the coming of spring. The current owner dug it out and put in a rock patio so I'll have to search the neighborhood for those blazing yellow branches. 

Kuro says he's in favor of searching the neighborhood, no matter the reason.

Tree Bones

Kuro and I usually walk in the evening. This time of year the sun has long set and, depending on her phase, we sometimes see the moon as she watches us walk.

Last Sunday, we had nice weather and knowing we wouldn't be able to walk at our usual hour because of a dinner date, we set out in the afternoon.

Our mountain was out, the sun was shining and Seattle wore its pretty face.

As we walked along, I was struck by the way the slanting afternoon sun highlighted the trunks and branches of the trees along our route. I remarked to Kuro that with the sun and the lack of leaves, we clearly could see the bones of the trees. 

Lichen and moss hitching a ride on this old tree.

The bones of an old Birch shining in the sun. 

This pine wears needles year round so needs sturdy bones to bear the extra
weight of our occasional snow falls.

Young Oak trees modestly wear their dead leaves all winter.

Mister Douglas Fir is a heavyweight among city trees. 

This old ornamental plum is gnarled and battered. The large burl at his
base would yield beautiful woodwork at some master's hands. 

This ornamental is healthy even though it has peeling bones.

In the spring these ornamental cherry trees will be umbrellas of white.

But their strong feet wreak havoc with city sidewalks.

The bones of this Japanese lace leaf maple will be invisible when she soon dons her red cloak.

This birch shows grotesque bones caused by botched surgery when she was young.

Whenever we pass, I admire the twisted old bones of Ms. Lilac. Her spring
finery is white and her perfume is a wonderful introduction to the season.

This young tree is just getting started in life. Her owner planted her in a poor location
so I'm afraid she won't make it to tree old age.

This old madrona still reaches for the sun.

This pine has a split personality.

During this walk we discovered some amazing shapes and colors most of which are hidden later in the year.

I decided it was a good walk.

Kuro says any walk is good.

Kuro's First Snow

This morning was one of those rare mornings in Seattle when wet snow fell gently and stuck to all things available. Some areas got more than others. Here in Magnolia we managed to get enough to make life beautiful and miserable.

Beautiful for Kuro and me as we went out and enjoyed his first snow. Miserable for people who live on these hills and had to fight the slippery conditions to go about their business.

Kuro was a little puzzled but he enjoyed romping in his first snow.

Our black bamboo bends under the load but will recover as the snow melts and falls off.

Seen here from the west, my winter flag flies in all weather.

 My smaller flag (2'x3'), sometimes called "storm flag," flies during our rainy windy winter weather. Sometime around Easter I'll change it for the larger (3'x5') summer flag.

Same flag, seen from the east.

Our trees carried a load of snow but nothing like that being experienced further north in Whatcom County where they have been suffering from a "silver thaw." 

For those of you who don't know, a silver thaw is an adult's nightmare and a child's dream come true. Cold rain falls into a ground-level below freezing zone and freezes on everything. Trees and power lines fall, branches break and all surfaces freeze. 

In this case, my sister in rural Whatcom County reports almost an inch of ice on the roads. Great for kids to skate on but not so great for drivers and emergency vehicles.

This flowering cherry shivers now but will burst into flower in April.

 I prune our Chojuro Nashii (Asian pear) back to maintain an open and easy to pick shape. Now it's cold and bare but come the end of September we'll enjoy lots of its fruits fresh and I plan to make more of the pear-lime marmalade that I made last fall.

It's good to think about the coming warm weather on a cold morning like this.

This shot was taken from our kitchen table. Note the reflections
of the light fixtures, about the only color in the black and white scene.

The bird feeders saw lots of action this morning. If you look carefully, you can spot nine birds in this photo. We have a family of Northern Flickers (a kind of woodpecker) that likes the suet in the second feeder from the front. They flew away when I went out to take pictures, but they'll be back. Even though they are very cautious, they can't resist that tasty suet.

After his romp in the snow, Kuro was happy to come in and warm up. He's still a little damp around the edges but he keeps a careful eye on me just in case I decide to go back outside.


   

A cold Fog in Magnolia

Tonight it was 38 degrees outside when my little dog, Kuro, and I left for our walk. Earlier in the day there had been a breeze from the ENE but tonight it had died down to a gentle zephyr off the sound from the west. As we headed out, our street was clear but when we topped the hill to our west the cold fog began to roll in.

Fog reduces the colors that normally are shown by our LED street lights. 

The night air was tasty with plenty of moisture dripping off my mustache and occasionally I tasted a little salt from the the bay, not far below.

The warm glow of the tungsten filaments in the house lights was welcoming compared to the cold of the LED lights. 

Whoever owns this house and flagpole properly displays a flag lit from below, even in the fog. I see he's also a Seahawks fan.

Kuro was all in favor of a longer walk in the fog. He doesn't mind the cold when he's walking. I was warm enough until we came to the cross streets when the gentle wind wrapped the fog around my ears and stuck its cold damp fingers down the neck of my jacket.

Even though I wore my reflective vest I was a little worried about distracted drivers not being able to see us in the fog so we headed back home. 

It was a different kind of walk. Quieter with different lighting and the taste of salt water fog to sample now and then.