It ain't over til it's over

Last Wednesday night it stormed, complete with thunder and lightning. In the morning, it hailed (see pix below). Last night it snowed. So despite the "January thaw" we had last weekend, winter is not leaving yet.

Before things went south weatherwise, I managed a bit of fall cleanup (which I do in the spring). And dog poop pickup. There is still more of both, of course.

The starlings that were absent most of the winter are back, from the north or south, I don't know. They don't like a lot of my offerings and can't reach most of what they do like, but they make quick work of the suet cakes and peanut splits. Jerks. But they are also patroling the lawn; I hear they like grubs.

The Internet is making me cry

I recently read (or rather, listened to the audio version of) Enshitification, by Cory Doctorow. Today I experienced some of what he rants about - how horrible search results have become. It nearly brought me to tears.

All I wanted to do was order some straight native plants for spring. One site that offered many of what I wanted would not let me order a measly three or twelve plants of each variety. Trying to find alternatives was a nightmare. Regardless of my search criteria, all that came up was barely related to what I asked for. At one point, I was even getting obituaries.

That was on my laptop. For some reason, the results on my tablet and phone are much better. One link took me to the Indiana Native Plant Society site which listed in-state nurseries that offer native plants. Whew!

Some of the sites listed are suspect, as I think they went out of business, but I'll take note of the ones I plan to look into and/or actually visit.

• Bernacchi's Oak Valley Greenhouses (La Porte)
• Blue Fox Farms LLC (Wawaka)
• Chapman Lake Nursery (Warsaw)
• Hardy's Farm Market (Fort Wayne)
• Heartland Restoration Services (Fort Wayne) (Wholesale)
• Laura Stine Gardens (Fort Wayne) (Designer)
• Naturally Native Nursery (South Bend)
• New Leaf Nursery (Nappanee)
• Riverview Nursery (Fort Wayne) (I think they are closed)
• Rozelle Lawn and Landscape (Fort Wayne) (Designer)
• Sanctuary Natives (Roanoke) (this is the outfit that redid my landscaping a few years ago)
• Saving Grace Gardens and Gallery (Kendallville)
• Spaulding Restoration (Plymouth) (Designer)
• Stantec Native Plant Nursery (Walkerton) (Wholesale)
• Wyatt Way Landscapes and Nursery (LaFontaine)

I'm guessing the designers and wholesalers won't want to sell to me, but I'll keep them on the list, just in case. There are a LOT more I did not list here because they are points south where I rarely travel. However, if they ship, they are also an option.

The local home and garden show is in a few weeks, so I'll see what nurseries are there as well. Meanwhile, I will dry my tears.

One side effect of searching for nurseries is plant creep. I ran across some clematis that grow in the shade. I have a trellis on my front porch where I have tried to grow a variety of things, including clematis, over the years. Maybe a shade-tolerant clematis will do the trick. And then there is the desire to grow dye plants like dyer's coreopsis. And wouldn't another spiderwort (or two? or three?) be nice? The question is, how out of control will I get?

I blame the weather. The snow is melting. In fact, the forecast is for temperatures in the 50's and 60's over the next few days. Besides making me itchy for spring, that should reveal a lot of dog poop in the backyard.

Almost done with winter

I still like looking at snow. I don't mind driving in it. But I am tired of slogging through it on dog walks and I'm tired of winter wear - long pants, long sleeves, wool socks, parkas, etc. By the end of the month, I should be completely over it.

Inside, the Thanksgiving cactus is blooming again. A pleasant surprise.

I almost submitted a purchase for some plants yesterday, but didn't pull the trigger. Not because I don't want the plants, but I could feel my decisions being influenced by the sales and groupings in the catalog. For example, there is a build-your-own-tray offer, but not all the plants I want are available for that option. I did not want to build a tray populated in part by plants I did not want or too many of the plants I do want. A more methodical method of shopping is required.

February and I'm still not tired of winter

This weather feels so strange! I grew up in the Chicago area, and this cold and snow matches my childhood memories. But here? Of course, I am discounting the Blizzard of '78 and similar winters that followed. Compared to those, this is nothing.

I am fond of saying that February is the longest month of the year, but here it is and I'm not done looking at snow. Ask me in a month, though.

A robin has been hanging out under the mealworm feeder along with several juncos. I can understand the robin, but juncos eat mealworms? They never try to enter the feeder even though they are small enough. I'm just a little surprised.

I'm also surprised none of the birds have stripped the winterberry holly plants, either. Maybe this week, when it warms a bit?

Otherwise, not much to report. Gotta get those plants and seeds ordered!