HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL

 ....AND  HOPES OF SPRING SEEM ETERNAL

Saturday,  9:00 AM.  30 degrees F at the ferry dock, 26 on the back porch.  Wind SSE, calm with occasional light to moderate gusts.  The sky is clear,  the barometer stands steady at 30.37", predicting a seasonally cool but sunny week ahead.

   Someone cited the old saw yesterday; "Hope springs eternal." when talking about the arrival of spring.  Then some one else said, "Yes, and hopes of spring seem eternal."

   So when I looked out my library window this morning onto the snow covered herb garden, I saw hopes of spring...daffodil leaf buds springing up through the snow.

PRETTY, THOUGH.

IT AIN'T...

...OVER...

...TILL IT'S OVER

Friday, 9;30 AM.  28 degrees F at the ferry dock and on the back porch.  Wind NE, gusty and biting.  The sky is overcast, the sun obscured.  The humidity is 87%, the barometer still rising at 30.23".  It has begun to snow again.  It is not a pleasant day.

   The weather was warm, the snow and ice melted...and then we got dumped on, and it all returned to a seasonal norm.

   As the Baseball Bard has said, "It ain't over 'til its over!"

   Pretty, though.

MANUAL OF GARDENING, L.H. BAILEY, 1910 EDITION

WINTER AGAIN

ANOTHER BAILEY CLASSIC

CLASSIC LANDSCAPE GARDEN DESIGN FROM BAILEY'S BOOK

Thursday, 10:00 AM.  29 degrees F at the ferry dock, 29 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm.  Sky overcast and foggy, with intermittent snow, of which about 4" has fallen.  The humidity is 95% and the barometer is rising, now at 29.76".  The snow has been wet and sticky and is very beautiful as it clings to trees and shrubs.  There is a winter storm advisory until 4:00 PM today.

   In my December 21, 2015 post, entitled The Holy Earth, I reviewed the reprint of L.H. Bailey's classic by that name, published 100 years after the original. I have since discovered another Bailey tome on my bookshelf, his Manual of Gardening, first published in 1910.  It is not as classic and important a work as the former but is certainly worth reading if one can obtain a copy. I don't think it has been republished.

   I found mine at an estate sale in Mt. Kisco, NY, when we lived in the area thirty years ago.  It is in almost perfect condition even though neatly annotated by its original owner.  It has a lot of what was at the time good technical information that has little modern relevance save curiosity, but basic information on plant species etc. is still useful.  But what intrigued me most was his treatise on landscape design, which is basic to classical design for rural properties and small holdings in the eastern and upper Midwest (and borrowed mainly from English landscape design), which is  essentially the area comprising the Eastern Deciduous and Mixed Forest Biomes. His design concept is essentially to treat the landscape like a painting, with the land the canvass and the plants and turf the palette, the structures as the focal point.  

   Of course, modern landscape design has expanded far beyond the classical English and American landscape design concepts to embrace prairie, dessert,  tropical, and other native plant associations and ecosystems (as well as Oriental design).  But it is always good to be reintroduced to the original source of grand concepts, and the Manual of Gardening is indeed that.

THE IDES OF MARCH HAVE COME AND GONE. IN A SNOWSTORM..

SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOWY SLUSH

A FARMER'S AMERICAN FLAGS ATOP PILES OF AGRICULTURAL LIME

Wednesday, 9:30 AM.  33 degrees F at the ferry dock, 30 degrees on the back porch.  Wind ENE, with strong gusts.  The sky has a low overcast, it is foggy and snowing.  The barometer is at 29.37".  We have about 2" of snowy slush on the ground, and it looks like we will get more of the nasty stuff.

   The race for the White House has become much clearer since yesterday, with Trump and Cruz clearly contesting for the Republican nomination, and Clinton as the Democratic choice. Gov. Kasich is staying in the Republican race, counting on being the candidate selected at a contested convention.

   Rubio gave an  uplifting  and very patriotic speech in defeat, and Cruz an inspirational appeal to unity.  If they could be running mates I believe they could defeat first Trump and then Hillary in the general election.  Ain't gonna happen, I'm afraid.
   The Ides of March have come...and gone.  In a snowstorm.

  

"THE IDES OF MARCH HAVE COME "

THE IDES OF MARCH: OVERCAST AND FOGGY

Tuesday, 9:00 AM.  41 degrees F at the ferry dock, 40 on the back porch.  Wind NNE, calm with occasional moderate gusts.  The sky is overcast with a few white clouds on the SE horizon.  The humidity is high, at 95%, and the barometer is falling, currently at 29.73", predicting rain and then snow for Wednesday and Thursday.  The record Bayfield high for today is 64 and the low 25.

   Today is an important day at the polls, which will probably determine the political fate of several Republican candidates and greatly influence the Democratic race as well.

   This is the Ides of March, famous in history as the day of Julius Caesar's assassination (et tu, Brute?) and a day still considered portentous.  

   Will blood be spilled on the Senate floor?  Will Mitt Romney continue his backstabbing attack  on  Donald Trump?  What other dire political predictions will come true?  My goodness, it seems we are all participants in a Shakespearean tragedy.

   In Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, the soothsayer warned Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March," of which Caesar said on that fateful morning, "The Ides of March have come."  

   And the soothsayer replied, "  '''Aye, but not yet gone."

PRUNING CHERRY TREES

BAYFIELD SWEET CHERRY ORCHARD IN FULL BLOOM

A PROPERLY PRUNED CHERRY TREE...NOTE THE WHITEWASHED TRUNKS

Monday, 9:00 AM CDST.  40 degrees F  both at the ferry dock and on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm.  The sky is overcast and there is heavy fog.  The humidity is 95% and the barometer is falling, now at 29.69".  Rain is predicted for the middle of this week.  There are still stubborn snow and ice piles on roads and roofs, and snow in the woods.  I haven't heard of any bears taking down bird feeders as yet, but they are bound to be out and about.
   There are many different methods of pruning cherry trees, depending upon cultivars, size of the orchard and economic realities of commercial fruit growing, and also local climate and traditions.  For the homeowner or the person with a small orchard, the rules can be simplified, and are much like the pruning of other northern hemisphere  fruit trees, such as the apples, pears and plums.
   Most if not all cherry cultivars are basically the progeny of wild cherry trees, which are shade tolerant climax forest species and will become tall trees if not heavily pruned and/or grown on dwarfing root stocks. 
   The homeowner with a few trees can rely on some of the pruning basics already discussed: prune out dead, broken, and diseased branches; select either a central leader branching system, or a multi-trunked system, but be consistent.  Build a strong branching structure with evenly spaced branches.  Prune to select horizontal branches that will spread out  and catch the sunlight.  Prune to allow sunlight to reach ripening fruit.  The strongest branches have wide crotches,  as wide as 90 degrees at the point of attachment to the trunk or a larger branch.  When pruning, step back and observe that the structure of the tree looks balanced.
   The best and easiest to pick fruit clusters will grow from fruiting spurs, short branches on mature wood two to four years old.  Cherries are fast growers and need to have new growth pruned back heavily each year to produce well.  Additionally, if fruit is to be hand picked without ladders the tree should be kept topped to be within reach.  Pruning is as much an art as a science, and skill will improve with practice.
   Cherry trees have thin bark, susceptible to damage. The above photo shows sweet cherry trees with white-washed trunks.  This is a good way to prevent sun damage in late winter, when  strengthening sunlight reflects off the snow and can damage the bark. 
   Bayfield is a far northern location, but the cold is modified by Lake Superior, so sweet cherries can be grown here.  Lapin and Cavalier cultivars grow well and are as good in flavor and appearance as any. 
   For specific information and good videos on various pruning methods, Google Greg Long, Cherries.  He is a University of Michigan cherry expert.

A LIFE OF PRIVILEGE

GROWING UP PRIVILEGED (Google photo)

PRIVILEGE BEGINS AT HOME

Sunday, 11:00 AM CDT.  37 degrees F at the ferry dock, 42 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm, the sky mostly cloudy and overcast.  The humidity is 83% and the barometer is dropping, now at 29.91", forecasting a damp week ahead.
   I was listening to the truck radio yesterday and heard on the news that Army enlistees are being told in indoctrination classes that being a white male automatically made them members of a privileged class.  This announced to young men, most of whom had probably joined the service out of patriotism and economic necessity (and I suspect the latter factor predominates).  At first, I was incensed to think that not only were they being disrespected and scape-goated, but so was I, being in that racial and gender category as well.
   After some reflection my anger abated, and I fully accept, in fact am eternally grateful that I am in that privileged class.  Not because I am white, or male.  Those are not the privileges I am thankful for. Rather, I am thankful for the fact that I was raised by loving parents, who taught me The Ten Commandments and good manners to boot, all of which I aspire to apply with some degrees of success.
    I am thankful they made me go to church and Sunday School. I am thankful that my mother loved books, and that my father taught me to respect the flag and all it stood for.  I am thankful that I was introduced to hard work at an early age, and that after my father died when I was sixteen there were suitable male authority figures who took an interest in me, a headstrong, often rebellious kid.
   The owners of the gas station where I worked when my father passed away gave me adult responsibilities and plenty of work hours, along with a stern reprimand when I needed it.  There were  good, kind high school teachers who spent many extra hours patiently imparting understanding and knowledge when I badly needed it.
   In college I was indeed privileged to have summer construction jobs that paid enough that I could save for my tuition; hired by businessmen and  mentored by tradesmen who had a sense of responsibility for a younger generation, and more respect for higher education than it or I probably deserved.
   I was fortunate in my early years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that the institution had not yet been hijacked by elitists, and that tuition was still affordable (I was embarrassed and incensed by their offer of a $25 scholarship).  And, I was certainly privileged to be in class with veterans returning from the Korean War who were not intimidated by the left-wing instructors we all encountered who did their best to subvert both our loyalty and our freedoms.
   During my career I was privileged to have  several wonderful mentors who helped me struggle towards my full professional potential.
   But my greatest privilege was to marry a beautiful young woman who loved me and had faith in me, who made me a father and ultimately a grandfather, a woman who has been my partner  through years of graduate education and a long and sometimes difficult career.
   So, I don't mind being labeled as part of a privileged class, for as you can see, I surely have lived a life of privilege.