Risk vs. Tomatoes

Swallows are already at work on their nests in Trinidad, a reliable signal that the season has arrived. The hillsides have gone electric green almost overnight. There is theater in Ferndale and comedy in Old Town this weekend. Across the county, the annual debate about planting dates appears to be underway. Lady Humboldt has her seed packets ready.

The biannual gathering at Green Spiral Farm on Saturday offers thirty vendors, a seed exchange, and a healing barn suggest a community that has decided commerce, agriculture, and metaphysics can coexist peacefully on the same afternoon. The kids zone and live music ensure all ages find their corner of contentment.

Purple appears to be the theme of the week. Purple martins have returned to the Mad River Fish Hatchery, arriving just as the insects reach their seasonal peak. Their aerial patterns suggest an effective approach to mosquito management. On the ground, purple lupine has begun to paint the Bald Hills in Redwood National and State Parks. Early blooms are already visible, and the hills are beginning to show off. Worth the trip.

The Beith Creek Loop in Sunnybrae offers a quick, reliable redwood walk just minutes from downtown Arcata. The 2.9 mile loop follows Beith Creek through second-growth forest, with steady water this time of year, small falls, and easy stream crossings. A mix of redwoods and maples lines the trail. The trailhead sits quietly at the edge of the neighborhood, with easy street parking nearby. Not wilderness, but more than enough for a short reset.

The vegetarian breakfast at Wildflower Cafe operates on the principle that morning food need not apologize for lacking bacon. The seasonal quiche follows whatever the farms have decided to grow this week. Coffee and tea are among Lady Humboldt's favorites in the county. The 'cakes, made with spelt flour and cornmeal, are worth a look, especially with bananas, blueberries, or almonds. Gluten-free options exist without fanfare. Closed Tuesdays, when the ovens rest.

On this week in 1850, the steamer Laura Virginia crossed the bar at Humboldt Bay, one of the first vessels to do so at what would become one of the most dangerous harbor entrances on the West Coast. The passage would go on to claim hundreds of lives in the years that followed. The captain's log recorded the crossing as "accomplished without incident," a phrase that has aged with some skepticism.

The county's gardens have entered their annual state of suspended decision. Some seed starts are already pressing against their containers, ready for the earth. Others remain in packets, waiting. The warm weather over the weekend has only complicated the calculation, offering just enough encouragement to feel convincing.

In backyards from Blue Lake to Shelter Cove, the same quiet question persists: risk versus tomatoes. Someone in Arcata has already planted beans. They stand in neat rows, small green assertions against the possibility of one more frost.

Until next week,
Lady Humboldt