M is for maples

FonDip Mayıs 22, 2022

If I could only have one kind of flora around me, it would be Japanese maples. There are so many fascinating varieties; I would get year-round aesthetic delights with their form, size, bark color and texture, and of course leaves, which vary wildly in design and seasonal colors. Not sure you could live without flowers? Click here to see a slide show of some of the varieties available for sale at Worldplants.com. Their Trans-Pacific Nursery used to be open to the public, and years ago I spent hours there dreaming of the maples and other plants I would like to someday buy. I did eventually get all the trees shown below from them, the exception of the top tree (it was here when we bought this place.) The bottom tree is a cultivar of vine maple called "Sunset," not a Japanese maple.

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We interrupt this blog post for another crazy weather warning! Unseasonably hot weather has settled over the Northwest. Do NOT attempt strenuous activity! Drink plenty of fluids, and make sure all animals and birds have access to fresh water. If possible, go to the coast and immerse yourself in cold Pacific seawater to prevent heat stroke!

Last weekend I was wearing Polarfleece and gloves with my barn coat to do chores; today it is over 90 degrees outside and over 80 degrees inside! Since going to the beach was not possible for us today, Brian enjoyed the next best thing:

Jackson preferred to watch from the shade:

Our grass has shot up all of a sudden, and farmers are literally making hay while the sun shines. Our horses are getting to enjoy some limited grazing time in the afternoons.

The sheep are breathing hard in the sudden heat. The poor mama ewes are still in full fleece, although Rechel and Dinah are trying to lose theirs. If you look closely (click to biggify), Rechel's upper neck is bare and there is a tuft of wool hanging from her chest.

Brava is doing okay; perhaps as good as she's going to get with the exception of regaining weight and regrowing fleece. I could probably pluck her completely naked right now, as the stress of this illness has appeared to cause a complete break in her fleece (any suggestions about what I should do?). I plan to continue giving her oral multi-B and probiotics for a bit longer. Thanks again for all your concern and prayers; I think she's out of the woods!