March is Here

I have heard it said that March typically comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb! In past years March usually seems like a roaring lion all month. This year is deceptively different! Usually it is very cold and constantly windy. So far this month has been balmy! Crocuses and primroses are blooming, daffodils are in bud and the perennials are all showing little green shoots. The bleeding heart is out of the ground about 6 inches and the grass in the field is starting to show green. This first week of sunny days in the high 50's followed by cold nights is short lived though because according to the trusty online weather.com site, it is supposed to turn into snow or rain for the next 10 days. One thing I know for sure here on the high desert, we can generally count on the weather being unpredictable all month. Garden centers are announcing baby chicks and Costco is full of spring bulbs and bare root roses. Please do not be tempted to plant spring bulbs yet! It will snow again!

The other item to note is that the deer are now on the move again. The spring migration from the high desert in the east to the mountains in the west has them moving through our property daily. Today, on a drive north of Redmond, we saw a bald eagle and a half dozen deer out in a field along the Oneil Highway, but when we got back to our own side of town, we drove by a dozen deer within two miles of our property. It is too early to spray deer repellent, but I still need to keep an eye on their movements. We have plans to put in a vegetable garden this year so we must fortify the fences and create a deer free zone in order to expect any sort of harvest.