Back to spring

For a few days it seemed like the weather here was going from winter to summer and bypassing spring entirely. I enjoyed the sun and warmth, but worried about the garden.  The hot, sunny weather (record-breaking 80 degrees a couple of days after the solstice) dried up the spring mud in the wetlands behind my house prematurely, and my garden was drying up fast too.
The spring rains fill the aquifer beneath my property, and it is the source of the well water that sustains us through the summer. Without the rains, and with such hot temps, what would be the consequences?  I thought of Australia, and Texas, and terrible, endless droughts.  Then I laughed at myself.  The weather may be weird, but it's not that bad yet.
And yesterday it was 50 degrees and  rainy, and I was happy.  The temps have moderated for a week, with even a light frost a couple of nights.  My spring crops like this weather, and so do I, in March and April.
Here's spinach getting it's first true leaves:

Sol and I walked in the wetlands this evening, and found deer tracks in the fresh mud:

They must have passed through at dusk, just before we walked. The smell of deer dries Sol crazy, like catnip to a cat.

Amaryllis success!

Last spring I posted about the 'Apple Blossom' Amaryllis that was blooming in my upstairs seedling room.  I challenged myself to keep it alive over the summer, and get it to rebloom this winter, rather than discarding it when the flowers faded.  This challenge was part of my reinvention as a more sustainable gardener.
Well, as the post title says, I succeeded. But there were surprises along the way.  The leaves grew large once the flowers ended, and thrived in the slightly shaded alcove by my front door.  In early summer they died back, and I put the pot in the garage and let it dry our during dormancy.  In September it began to grow again, and  I moved it out into the sun and waited for the flower bud to show.
But all I got was leaves.  Frost was imminent, so I brought the pot inside and put it in a corner.  The leaves died back again, and again I let it dry out.  I figured the bulb was regaining strength, and there might be flowers next year.
In late February I noticed a budded shoot emerging from the bulb.  I quickly watered it and moved it into a sunny spot.
The flowers are now open, and they are just as big as last year! And there is a side bud forming-- in a couple of years it could produce another flower stalk.  Just another reminder that even in our fast-paced, results now world,  patience is  still rewarded.