FICKLE WEATHER

Sunday 3/27/11... It is cold again. Overnight temps in the 30's, probably freezing tonight, but then it will warm up during the day and be pretty nice all next week. I'm glad I didn't put all of my aloe and sansavarius and spider plants out yet.

We are moving ahead on the Watonga Farmers Market and hope to kick it off on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

Our mouser, Killer Kat, had a run-in with a truck last weekend. The tires rolled over his back legs, but the vet checked him over and said nothing was broken. So we've been nursing him back to health: giving him tender loving care, ibuprophen, yogurt, and sardines, and exercising his little kitty legs carefully. At first he was dragging himself across the garage floor to get to his litter box, and then we found that he had somehow gotten on top of a box in the garage, and today I saw him actually walking a few steps. It will probably be a while before he is back to his old/young self, but he seems to have survived...probably used up one of his nine lives for sure. I just hope he isn't too spoiled after his "rehab" to stay in the garage ... more on his progress later.

IS IT SPRING . . . YET?

By the temperatures we're having this week, one might think it was early summer. It was 80 degrees yesterday. But we are still in for cold nights and the last "average freeze" date is April 1. I've begun raking leaves and discovering life under the brown crackling layer. The quince is in full bloom, as are daffodils and jonquils (I still don't know which is which) and tulips are about to pop. Irises and daylillies are shooting up but won't bloom for another month I think. I'm busy taking cuttings from everything from varigated vinca to mint sprigs and daylillies to get ready to sell at the Farmers Market. I've planted broccali, brussel sprouts, onion, and cilantro. I hope to get some other cold weather vegetables in the ground this coming weekend. Andy has put out seeds in the hot box for tomatoes, peppers, and basil. The garden up by the barn needs preparation for summer plants . . . we'll get to that sometime soon!

Spring break just got over and the Park and Lodge were busy all last week. I walked with a group through the Lodge and told a little bit of history of the park and the CCC and the Cheyenne culture here. One young couple asked me about the Medicine Tree and I related a story from recent history about an Indian who moved away when members of his family passed away at the local hospital instead of at the Medicine Tree. I am looking forward to hearing more stories from Larry Roman Nose. I referred a gentleman to the Ferguson Museam and he told me he enjoyed a tour there and his visit with Mary Dean, the curator of the Ferguson home. I took a family on a hike down the Lodge trail one day. The little girls were fascinated by the "false spring" and the mollusk shells they found on the shore of the lake. A visitor to the park saw a really big porcupine in a tree and she brought in a picture of it to show me. It was a busy week! The weather was very pleasant except for one day that was a little cool and overcast and windy.

This week I've seen deer in our yard and a coyote crossing the road, and turkey. Someone close by has recently acquired a donkey -- I can hear it braying loudly when I am out in the yard.

IS IT SPRING YET?

We keep getting hints that spring is here, and then it gets cold again. This week the days have been mostly sunny, with temperatures in the 50's and 60's. We had one night of rain, maybe got an inch. But we are way below the average and the county is under a burn ban. That wasn't good for Trout Derby because fisherman couldn't cook their catch, so most of them took their fish home. It was a good Derby, overall. We had over 200 registrants, and the biggest fish caught was over 3 lbs. One fisherman gave us two trout and Andy cooked them on the grill, on foil, and they really were delicious. The new manager of the General Store at the lake cooked hotdogs and sold them, which was really appreciated by all, even the chamber and Friends of Roman Nose volunteers.
Now that Trout Derby is over, we at the Chamber are getting ready for the Mountain Bike race that will be held at Roman Nose State Park. It looks like it will be a big event this year. I continue to research and learn a lot about Oklahoma, the Indian culture, the history of this area and even some geology (which I am totally NOT interested in, but need to know for my presentations). I continue to get familiar with the park itself.