Old Car Stuff

 I am not sure why I am upside down in this photo of the light on an old car, but this is how everything feels recently with the panic about the COVID-19 coronavirus.  We are advised to stay home and only go out when necessary.  The stores shelves have been getting fairly bare due to people stock piling foods, toilet tissue, disinfectants, etc. 

 McKay drove this old car of his across the US, mostly along Route 66, camping out and staying with people who welcomed him into their homes; quite a few years ago.  I found this while attempting to find photos of antique cars for Peter F. of the the Antiques chapter of the VCCC.  I expect he has photos of everything I have and his are much better too.  While going through my files I straightened up the files, trying to get only one copy of things saved, so that I can find things more easily, hopefully. 

The duck is very mindful of its cleaning.  It was in a pond at one of the venues for the one of the Antiques meetings, years ago.

Crocuses at the end of February

 The crocus field in the front boulevard garden.  The grass is quite long this year.  I shall leave it long until the crocus leaves harden off.

 Dark purple crocuses in the Magnolia tree bed. 

 The yellow crocuses are usually the first ones up in the Spring.  This bunch is just under the plum tree in the boulevard garden.

I love these striped crocuses.  There seems to be at least 3 patterns for the stripes.

We have had some high winds over the past two days and cooler temperatures.  Hydro reported that there were 50,000 people from the islands and the lower mainland without power.  We were ok, and the garden does not seem to have suffered any damage.

February in the Garden

 The epimedium in front of the Harry Lauder Walking Stick shrub. Now, on March 13, about a month later, the contorted nut shrub has long golden catkins and is in full bloom.  The color of the epimedium is a glorious red/green mix.  It's a fine combination of plants.  I must get a photo of it at this time.

 The epimedium is really spreading out.  There is a primula beside it that I must move.

 Some of the snowdrops in early February.  They are still in bloom around the garden.

 One of the earliest crocuses.  I lovely light maeve color.

The wall flower by the front step has buds mid February and is still at the about the same stage of growth.
February has been a rather cool, wet month this year, and  the beginning of March has been much the same.  Last week I did manage to get a couple of ok days and pruned back the firethorn bush, cut up and disposed of the clippings ... a prickly task.  Yesterday was a nice 14 degrees and so I was out from 1:30 to 5:30, clipping up the firethorn and then digging bluebells out of the woodland.  The fawn lillies are really looking good.  I think I am winning the battle of the bluebells!.  After all the rain we had I find there is no moisture under the Japanese cedar tree.  In the Autumn I deposit quite a lot of leaves at the back of the woodland.  Where it gets moisture the soil is becoming nice 'woodsy' compost, and smothering the bluebells.  The rhodo that is behind the old garage and in this woodland area is growing nicely since it, also gets a leaf mulch and lots of rain in the winter.

The Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Gardening Society Spring Show and Sale

I have a few plants put into pots for taking to the show and sale.  They have  a few weeks to grow roots in their pots.  Tonight I will take 3 terra cotta pots to the meeting to add to the pots that Paul Spriggs needs to pot up about 80  Rex Murfitt saxifragias to save the collection.  My own 2 year old Rex saxifragias are growing like crazy in their pots with the tufa rocks.  I need to find a spot in my garden for the saxifragias.  I have 2 growing in the back little rockery that are from Cannor nursery.  One is a red mossy saxifragia from last year and the other is a fairly common one, with white flowers. (the name escapes my memory at the moment.)  A week or two ago I got a 50 lb bag of #3 chicken grit from Borden Mercantile for the top dressing on the rock plants.  I hope someone has tufa rocks for sale at the VIRAGS show and sale. 
I finally got the Journal Entries for 2019 loaded to my web page.  I couldn't stop looking at the photos of the year on https://www.mmmee.com/JE2019  that page.

February in the garden and at the Museum

We had some colder temperatures and snow at the beginning of February.  The humming bird feeders needed attention to be thawed out in the mornings.   

 This Cattlaya Intermedia (orlata x aquinii)  species was in bloom in February 2018.

 It has been in bloom in February and is still in bloom now.  It probably had blooms in February of 2019 also, but I did not go looking for the photos.
I have had a huge invasion of tiny ants into my light garden.  I have put out some 'Ant Out' insectiside  for them.  Yesterday I cleaned th3e trays and watered all the plants again.  I still seem to have a few ants; especially in the Pixie plant.  I will have to keep an eye on them until I have them all gone.

 the back of the Museum.  I was down to see the International wildlife photography of the year contest winners  featured at the Museum.  There were some spectacular captures.

https://beta.ctvnews.ca/local/vancouver-island/2020/2/24/1_4825616.html
The same day there was a march  to gather crowds for the Moose Hide campaign to end violence against Indigenous people.  The other  pipeline protesters were also at the front of the Legislature Building.  The protesters seem to have made some sort of a deal with the  governments as they are no longer blockading the railroads or access to the LNG pipeline progress.
The big concern for the country and the whole world at the moment is the spread of a wicked virus.