Floral Report

We have had freezing temperatures, ice, snow, wind, and rain, rain, rain. Even though we are in an El Nino pattern, we have been getting plenty of rain. I mention it only because when you have a “water intrusion” as the building trades like to call it (aka a leak), you do notice the unremitting rain.

However, all is not dreary and gray! No indeed, with the above average temperatures that El Nino brings, we are starting to see early spring flowers popping up. I should be worried about them; they should be worried about themselves. It’s really too early to be bursting into bloom. February is known around here as the ice storm month for good reason. But, I am so happy to see them!

In my yard, the winter blooming jasmine is sporting sunny yellow flowers. OK, it’s a winter bloomer, not a sign of early spring, but I love it anyway. Cheers for the jasmine! Thanks for the joy!

My neighbor’s yard is rife with daphne, and they are just starting to send out their heady fragrance. Do you like the smell of daphne? It reminds me of Froot Loops cereal, so sweet!

There are bulb-borne flowers starting to push out of the ground, strong, sturdy, sword-like leaves are cleaving their way through the soil. Tulips, hyacinths, daffodils.

Even the hydrangea is showing new leaf buds on its winter scarred branches. I wasn’t sure we’d get any hydrangeas after that cold snap and snow storm. It is such a fibrous plant that it dies right back in the cold. Ours seems to have survived.

Some planting guides suggest that we can put peas in the ground now (snow peas, I’d guess), but I’m going to wait just a little longer for that. That would be tempting fate, tempting the weather gods just a little too much.

What are your favorite spring flowers? What’s blooming in your yard or neighborhood?

Hawthorne update

Drove by the now empty lot on Hawthorne where the Daily Grind used to be. I'm happy to report that it will not be a condo tower. There is some signage on the chain link fencing indicating that New Seasons will build a grocery store there.

OK, this is kinda crazy. It was an independent hippie grocery store and it's being replaced by a chain hippie grocery store. Hmmm.... AND, it's just a few blocks from a Fred Meyer. I guess I don't need to know how these things work. At least it's New Seasons, which is a pretty good small chain. They treat their employees well and the prices are not as astronomical as that other chain ~ Whole Foods, also called Whole Paycheck because that's how much you can spend if you shop there.

Oh, and speaking of Whole Foods, I just had a thought. It might be built on the model of the Whole Foods that is going in on Sandy Boulevard in the Hollywood District. Massive, upscale, expensive grocery store on the bottom (and a bank), with condos above.

We shall see!

Just the shell remains

I drove over to the parents house on Tuesday afternoon. Went down NE 27th to Knott. On 27th between Tillamook and Thompson is the shell of an old house. I'm not sure but it looks like it might have burned.

It looks as if it is being taken apart carefully. Maybe one of these 'deconstruction' companies it taking it apart to reuse the materials. I hope so.

I'm going to have to go back that way and take a longer look. I was in a hurry on Tuesday and couldn't even slow down, let alone stop and look. And, I'll bring my camera because I keep hearing from one of my readers that pictures would add a nice touch to this blog...