Befores and Afters, Mostly Befores

IF YOU LIVE IN THE Pacific Northwest, you know what kind of day Sunday, February 24th was. If you don't, then let me tell you. Picture blue skies and sunshine with a hint of a breeze, temperatures hovering around 60 degrees. Yes, it was a dang near perfect day--highly irregular for late February in rainy, cold western Oregon. Not quite spring by the calendar and not feeling like winter... a teaser day.

Look at the Crokies... all gorgeous in their, royal purple unfurling petals.    

Unable to focus on the laundry or the pile of dishes in the kitchen, I high-tailed it outdoors to tackle the masses of last season's growth, such as what was on this Stipa gigantea. Icky, icky. This is the "Before." If you look closely, just to the left of the grassy mound, you can see something grayish and pointy. Scroll down and see what it is. 

Yep. It's a wood rendition of Sharon the Heron. Actually she's a snowy egret but I'm a gardener, not a wildlife expert. Doesn't the Stipa look infinitely better? Now I need to tackle the raspberry canes behind it. Always something... 

Below is a "Before" of a mass of English Ivy that grows in my neighbor's yard but really enjoys our fence. I'm losing patience with trying to keep this stuff from swallowing the fence and the house and the neighborhood. 

Look below. This is the evidence of my work on Sunday. Lots and lots of plant stuff waiting to be hauled to the yard debris can.  

On my immediate to do list, tackle the rather scary looking remains of last year's 'Polish Spirit' Clemmy. It's already starting to leaf out so I'd better hop to it. 

And finally, I wanted to show you the little Paperwhite Narcissus abloom on my kitchen table. My sister Laura bought this for my birthday last November. It wasn't until mid January that I got it and the Amaryllis bulbs planted. Although the Amaryllis are rather slow growing, it sure didn't take it long for the Paperwhites to bloom.  

So this is what's happening in my world. How is yours looking?