Hibernating...?

Lazy Gnome is stirring back to life, too. Recently the Landscaper wanted to know whether LG was still interested in the plants, trees and shrubs planned for last year—they have to order their stock now. Great news!

Other signs? Last Sunday, the first sound LG heard upon wakening was birds singing outside; LG now arrives home from the Office while it is still daylight; the squirrels have appeared throughout the winter, but now they are downright playful; and today, LG heard a Northern Flicker’s LOUD Tutt-tutt-tutt on a wooden power pole. (http://talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/index.php?s=190)

LG wishes she had been able to hibernate, care-free since fall. However, the snowfall has been near-recording breaking, in particular in mid-December to late January. LG learned a whole new winter sport: raking snow from the roof. She was shocked at the massive dams of ice and the humongous icicles hanging from the new eavestroughing she had installed in November. In a call to the eavestroughing people to complain, she was told that it is a common misconceptions that ice damming has anything to do with the eaves. LG hates making common misconceptions.

Luckily, LG has a perfectionist friend. He brought over his roof rake in late December and the two of them did her house and the neighbour’s. Within the week, LG bought a roof rake herself, an uncharacteristically lucky move: news reports shortly thereafter were that these simple aluminum poles with plastic hoe-type attachments were sold out across the City. She raked her roof four weekends in a row, due to continual snowfall. The most frightening thing was one evening, returning home from a night out, LG found water dripping in the basement from the floor joists.

She assumes water was getting in somewhere, trailing down between the outside and inside of an exterior wall, and then finding the path of least resistance to the low point on the joist. She set up pails and panicked.

Fortunately, she had already contracted to have additional insulation installed in the "knee walls" of her 1 1/2 story home. But, that won't make the ice damming go away, but in combination with the roof-raking, she feels somewhat better--for this winter, anyway.

On the positive side: the snowfall provided LOTS of opportunities to burn calories in the New Year. Plus, all those hours raking the roof, looking skyward, LG saw several flocks of Bohemian Waxwings silently swarming from tree to tree. (http://talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/index.php?s=252 )

But , Lazy Gnome wants to tell the story of the Garden, and right now it is covered by ageing snow which this weekend is melting at a furious pace...LG wonders if Mother Nature is gently awakening the roots, seeds and underground critters, or trying to get them all to stay asleep for a few more weeks?

Enjoy the mild weather, keep your sidewalks as clear as you can, walk carefully on the ice, watch for birds, and watch for other signs of encroaching Spring!

"Hibernation is a covert preparation for a more overt action."
~~Ralph Ellison