A while ago, Charlotte in Kimberly emailed to ask how the weather was on our side of the mountain. She said she had peas in the ground there. Since I was still looking at snowfields on the Middle Fork, I took that as a gentle jibe.

Peas in the ground, indeed.

Last weekend’s snow has melted off, mostly, now so there is hope for more green. The daffodils are up a few inches and I’m about ready to plant my rhubarb and peony starts. They have to get used to the cold some time.

Even though it’s been nippy – 16 degrees – in the morning, it is starting to look like spring.

And this morning we saw two huge bull elk strolling across the lower part of the property. They made the Hartford insurance elk look like a pronghorn.

Maybe these big boys will drop their horns in the front yard, so Taz the chocolate lab won’t have to run around so much. Taz came to us last fall with a reputation for being a superior horn-hunting dog, but he’s no spring chicken and the hills are hard on his joints. We’ll test his endurance and nose next weekend with a little hike.

And then we’ll put some sacrificial plants into the garden and see what happens. My motto: Plant early and plant twice.