3/3/26  A negative mind will never give you a positive life.

Sunshine, 10 degrees.  Partly cloudy this morning becoming overcast this afternoon.  A strong Sw breeze, high 39. !-3 inches of snow tonight, low of 24.  Partly cloudy tomorrow, a stiff west breeze, high 48, low 24.  Cloudy Thursday, a NE breeze, high 28, low 14. Cloudy Friday, an ENE breeze, high 33, low 26.  A wintery mix Friday night and Saturday morning.  A SW breeze Saturday, a high of 41, a low of 3, Afternoon sun.  . Partly cloudy Sunday, a NW breeze, high 47, low 29.  Partly cloudy next Monday, a WSW breeze, high 54, low 27.  Partly cloudy next Tuesday, a stiff SW breeze, high 52, low 35.  Showers next Wednesday, a high of 57, low 36, a stiff SW breeze.  Showers next Thursday, a stiff west breeze, high 50, low 22.Partly cloudy next Friday, a strong NW breeze, high 32, low 22.  Snow showers Friday night. Snow showers Saturday the 14th, a strong WSW breeze, high 38, low 21.  Snow showers the next three days, stiff NW breezes, highs in the low thirties, lows about 15.
    Between two and four today a semi will back in with eight boxes of plugs and cuttings.  As soon as they are planted  the first greenhouse will be half full!
On Monday a semi comes with spring supplies.  Each week in March more boxes of plugs and cutting come.  Coast of Maine and more spring supplies come the first week in April when the snow is gone.  Bare root perennials start  coming in April.  Fruit trees and shrubs come the third week in April. Strawberries and the Prides Corner Farm order come the first week in May.  My "Christmas" cactus is blooming!  Spring of 2026 is rolling in. Before I get too excited about spring I need to order another ton of pellets!  
    May your day be blessed, Sally
   

 3/2/26  The fairest thing in nature, a flower, still has it's roots in earth and manure.

 Sunshine, -1.  Sunshine today, a brisk WNW breeze, high 21. Mostly clear tonight, low-1.  Mostly cloudy tomorrow, a strong SW breeze, high 39, low 25.  Mostly sunny Wednesday, a brisk west breeze, high 49, low 23. Partly cloudy Thursday, a NE breeze, high 32, low 15. 1-3 inches of snow Thursday night.

1-3 inches of snow Friday morning, a mix overnight.  A NE breeze, high 30, low 24.  Rain/freezing rain Saturday morning, showers in the afternoon and overnight.  A SW breeze, high 39, low 34.  Fog Sunday, a west breeze, high 49, low 30. Partly cloudy next Monday, a  SW breeze, high 54, low 30.  PM showers next Tuesday, a WSW breeze, high 52, low 36. Cloudy next Wednesday, a stiff SW breeze, high 59, low 38. Showers next Thursday, a strong west breeze, high 48, low 25. Snow showers Friday, the 13th, a stiff NW breeze, high 35, low 19.  Snow showers become rain showers in the afternoon, 1-3 inches snow overnight  Saturday the 14th.  a stiff west breeze, high 37, low 22.  1-3 inches of snow Sunday, the 15th, a stiff NW breeze, high 36, low 17.  Snow showers Monday the 16th.

      A pleasant Sunday.  Church in the morning, youth group in the afternoon.  When I took Annabelle home I stopped to visit big Andrew and Gayle.  Louis and Darlene were there, lots of visiting.  Andrew is doing so well.  No ice at the church in town but the dropping temperatures made for ice everywhere else.

          Bekah took care of the hens last night and this morning.  She and Doug are delivering hay this morning.  Some ice melt mixed with ashes will fix  the path.  Eggs will need to be collected again mid morning so they don't freeze.

       I've been reading why you should plant sunflowers in and near the garden.  Not only do pollinators love them but so do aphids and other bad bugs.The bugs will choose the sunflowers over the garden vegetables.  We plant blue hubbard on the edge of our squash patch, squash beetles and bugs prefer blue hubbard to the other squashes.  Strategically planted sunflowers can be used as a windbreak.  Sunflowers improve soil structure, just don't plant them so close to the vegetables that they compete for nutrients or shade the vegetables.  Monitor the sunflowers so when the bad bugs come you can get rid of them before the bugs move to the vegetables.  Plant the sunflowers before the vegetables so they are big and attractive before the vegetables are.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 3/1/26  A single grateful thought turned toward heaven is a beautiful prayer.

Some snow showers this morning, some sun this afternoon, clear tonight.  A light NW wind today, high 30, low -3 tonight.  Sunny and cold tomorrow, high 20, low -1, a brisk NW breeze.  A pattern change starts Tuesday, warmer temperatures  will start the sap run.  In like a lion, out like a lamb-we hope!   I

   We are reminding ourselves that Sunday is a day of rest and worship.  We do fair with the worship but sometimes the 'rest part' is elusive.  The greenhouse and animals still need tending, people need fed.  I need to box eggs before I leave for church, there are only a dozen in the egg refrigerator.  I did fill the bird feeders last night.

    May your day be blessed, may you make time to give thanks and to rest.  Sally

 2/28/26   In Maine there is a warm 26 degrees and a cold 26 degrees.  The rest of you wouldn't understand!

Clouds and ice fog.  26 degrees, Bekah says it feels like 0.  A strong south wind today with higher gusts.  Today's high 46, low 23.  Partly cloudy tomorrow with a strong NW breeze, high 26, low -3.  Mostly sunny Monday, a stiff NW breeze, high 20, low -1.  Cloudy Tuesday, a light SW wind, high 35. low 24. Partly cloudy Wednesday, a WNW breeze, high 44, low 22.  Snow showers Thursday, a north breeze, high 34, low 13.  1-3 inches of snow Friday, a NE breeze, high 29, low 24.  Morning rain/ice next Saturday, a SW breeze, high 42, low 31.  Mostly cloudy next Sunday, a WNW breeze, high 47, low 29.  Morning rain/ice next Monday, A SW breeze, high 49, low 32.  AM Showers Tuesday the 10th, a WSW breeze, high 54, low 37.  AM Showers Wednesday the 11, a WNW breeze, high 51, low 29.  A few showers Thursday the 12th, a brisk NW breeze, high 42, low 25.  PM showers Friday the 13th, snow to rain Sunday the 14th, NW breezes, highs 39, lows 22.

    My plan for today is to straighten out the cardboard pile.  We save all our plain, brown cardboard to put under mulch in the garden.  By the end of the winter the pile gets large and unruly.  We'll use every bit of it!   Grass and bamboo don't want to be smothered.  We still have to watch for an enemy to sneak through a weak spot.  Especially the bamboo. Today I want to get the pile under control.  If it warms up.

    There are trays under all the lights, my fuchsias are going to have to wait a few more days.  Some of the newly planted trays are already showing tiny specks of green.  I didn't prune the fuchsias very much before they went down cellar,  I'm sure I'll want to prune them more.

     We got next week's shipping notice yesterday.  Eight cases of plugs and cutting will be delivered between 2 and 4 Tuesday.  We are glad it is coming Tuesday instead of Monday, Tuesday is forecast to be so much warmer!  All those babies need a warm greenhouse.  It takes a lot less propane to keep it warm at a low of 24 degrees instead of Monday night's -1.

     May your day be blessed, Sally

 2/27/26  May we commit today to Christlike pauses of caring so that we may heal invisible wounds of grief and isolation in our church and community.

Sunshine, calm, 12 degrees.  Sun and clouds, a west breeze, high 32.  Clouds tonight, low 16.  Snow showers Sunday, a NW breeze, high 28, low -3.  Partly sunny Monday, a WNW breeze, high 20, low -4. Partly cloudy Tuesday, a SW breeze, high 34, low 23. 1-3 inches of snow Tuesday night.  Snow showers Wednesday, a stiff NW breeze, high 4, low 18.  Some sun Thursday, a brisk  north breeze, high 31, low 10.  Snow showers next Friday, a NE breeze, high 28, low 19. Wintry mix next Saturday PM into Sunday AM.  NW breezes, high Saturday 38, low 27.  Sunday's high 43, low 32.  Partly cloudy Monday the 9th, a SW breeze, high 49, low 34.  Showers Tuesday the 10th with a SW breeze, high 50, low 36.  Showers Wednesday the 11th, WNW breeze, high 48, low 29.  Partly cloudy on the 12th and 13th, NW breezes, highs about 43, lows 25.  Perhaps a shower Thursday night.
    Tuesday Grand daughter Sally Jo and her husband Kaden had an appointment at Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston.  Kaden has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  A treatment program was set up.  Treatments will be at the Brewer Cancer Center with monitoring by Dana Farber.  Kaden and Sally Jo were told that this type of cancer has a 96% cure rate.  He had an appointment in Brewer at nine yesterday  morning.  It went well.  

    I visited Andrew and Gayle yesterday,  It was a celebration. Tuesday's doctor appointment showed no infection.  There will be a scan next week to double check.  He walked up and down the stairs yesterday.  That meant he could sleep in his king size bed last night instead of the hospital bed!

    Most of the seedlings that were in the front room are in the greenhouse.  Soon  the fuschias that hang from the barn will come out of the cellar and go under the lights.  Bekah planted lots of seeds yesterday.  She also ran water to the greenhouse, filling all the water storage barrels and buckets.  The greenhouse is getting hot enough these days so she can exchange the air without making the furnace run much.  The sun is getting stronger every day.  We,ve gained a little over an hour of daylight in February, about 3 minutes a day.  We are hoping that the forecast for below average temperatures in March for Maine is wrong.  In February our night time lows were not as low as the daily forecast said they to expect.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 2/26/26  Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods.  CR Lewis

Cloudy, 22 degrees.  Sun and clouds today with a strong west breeze, high 34.  Clear tonight, low of 6. Sunshine tomorrow, a west breeze, high 32, low 16.Mostly cloudy Saturday, a SW wind, high 44, low 23.  Partly cloudy Sunday, a strong NW breeze, high 27, low -3.  Mostly sunny Monday, a NW breeze, high 21, low -2.  Partly cloudy Tuesday, a strong SW breeze, high 33, low 20.  Partly cloudy Wednesday, a brisk west breeze, high 43, low 19. Cloudy next Thursday, a NW breeze, high 36, low 16. 1-3 inches of snow next Friday, high 32, a NE breeze, low 22. Morning rain/ice next Saturday,  NW breeze, high 41, low 25. PM showers next Sunday, snow showers overnight, a NW breeze, high 42, low 31. Light freezing rain early Monday, the 9th, then showers and fog.  A SW breeze, high 49. low 33. Showers the rest of the week, highs 53 to 45.  Lows 35 to 28.  Sap will run!

   I find it hard to believe it will get as cold as the forecast predicts.  The temperature hasn't been reaching the lows predicted.  But I'm sure it won't be pleasant.  Seven boxes of pugs and cuttings come Monday or Tuesday.  The furnace will burn lots of propane.  Bekah or Jay will probably get up to check the greenhouse and put wood on the stove.  Bob Nicholas, an old farmer and sugar maker always said sap weather wouldn't come until about the tenth.

This year is proving him right.

    The ice melt worked.  The couple inches of new snow helped.  I was able to fill all the feeders this morning and throw sunflower seeds on the Christmas tree.  A chickadee scolded me the entire time I was out there.  It is a Christmas card scene today with the sun shining on the frost covered trees. Smoke is rising from the greenhouse.  

     I made the butter last night. It has been twenty some years since I was making butter, I hadn't forgotten how.   I was pleased to be able to do it, pleased that I could do it and pleased to help Bekah.  Bekah took care of the churn.  No way am I going to try washing that heavy jar!

      May your day be blessed, Sally

 2/25/26“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.” May "love thy neighbor" define this season of Lent and our "season" of life.

Cloudy, 9 degrees.  An inch of snow showers today, dusting tonight. A west breeze, high of 30, low tonight 16.  Partly cloudy tomorrow, a strong west breeze, high 36, low 7.  Sunshine Friday, a west breeze, high 33, low 15.  Cloudy Saturday, a SW wind, high 45, low 24.  Snow showers Sunday, a strong NW breeze, high 28, low -4.  Sunshine Monday, a NW breeze, high 18, low -5.  May "In like a lion, out like a lamb" hold true!  Partly cloudy Tuesday, a strong WSW breeze, high 30, low 18.  3-5 inches of snow Tuesday night. Snow showers Wednesday, a stiff west breeze, high 40, low 13.  Partly cloudy next Thursday, a brisk NW breeze, high 30, low 11.  1-3 inches of snow next Friday, a north breeze, high 33, low 20.  Snow showers next Saturday, a NW breeze, high 38, low 25.  Snow showers, ice, freezing rain the 8th through the 11th with highs in the forties, lows in the upper twenties.  Years ago the sugaring rule was "Sap won't start running until March 10th"

   

    We got a dusting.  Tiffany in Rhode Island got 37,5 inches.  At five last evening their street still hadn't been plowed.  They were thankful they hadn't lost power.

     It was ninety in the greenhouse yesterday afternoon.  With just the woodstove going it only dropped to 49 at 4:30 when Behah went out to put wood on the stove.  She had put wood on it at eight-thirty last night.  Before the propane furnace was installed there was a second wood stove.  Bekah was pleased the greenhouse held the heat so well.  The sides are nicely banked with snow.  After she starts the propane furnace tomorrow she'll move some plants out.

    The driveway is polished ice.  I'm going to mix some ice melt with the ashes and see if I can make a safe path to the hens.  The ice melt did a good job behind the house.  I can fill the bird feeders.

    May your day be blessed, Sally