One of my favorite authors, Edwin Way Teale wrote, “All things seem possible in May.” That is true. There is so much energy in May. My gardens seem to sizzle with potential. There is so much latent power in a flower bud or a seed. With all the plants and trees growing, leafing out, and blooming, and the birds singing and nesting, the world seems to be in a frenzy.
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| Tulips. |
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| Fancy daffodils. |
We had some gloriously warm weather last week. The temperature reached into the low 80's several days. Some complained that it was too hot, but not me. After all the cold weather and the late start for spring, I was happy for it. With the warmth came rain and the combination of warmth and rain makes wonderful things happen. Buds burst, ferns unfurl, things turn green.
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| Ferns in the woodland garden. |
Green has always been my favorite color. And the world is green right now. There are a hundred shades of green from the pale green of the ferns’ fiddleheads to the chartreuse of the maple flowers to the emerald green of the newly sprung grass to the reddish green of the new maple leaves.
The world here is busy, bustling, and noisy – but in a very rural way. The birds are in frenzy of courting and nesting – and eating. We have to fill the bird feeders every day. There are birds at the feeders constantly from first light to twilight. The noise is constant too. From dawn to dusk the birds sing and from dusk to dawn the frogs sing. There is a little trilling frog that sings all day and all night.
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| A yellow warbler. |
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| Baby robins three days after hatching. |
During the week we continued to work preparing garden for planting. It seemed like most days every time we started something outside, it rained. When we came inside, the rain stopped. On Saturday we finally managed to clean the gutters on the house, or rather, Josiah did. There’s no way I’d ever go up on the roof. I also moved most of my seed starts onto the back porch. After all these weeks under grow lights and on heat mats in the upstairs bay window, the back porch is the next step in preparing them for Planting Out Day at the end of the month. After a week or two on the porch, I’ll move them all to the back porch stairs where they will fully face the elements. And then they’ll go into the ground.
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| Seed starts on the back porch. |
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| Josiah cleaning gutters. |
Today is Mother’s Day. This poem was written by my grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Showers Rathfon. The words fit a very pretty tune. When we were small, and even when we were grown, we used to sing this to my mother on Mother’s Day. I remember one year in particular when my brother Steve and I were asked to sing this at church on Mother’s Day. It was when we lived in Sylmar. We were both grown up and married. I was in the bishopric. We stood up to sing and didn’t make it very far before we both began to cry. In the congregation, my mother was crying. I think everyone was crying. We blubbered our way through the rest of the song. I never tried anything like that again.
Mother, here’s a red, red rose.
It’s from the garden where true love grows.
See those drops of shining dew?
They’re tender kisses just for you!
Mother, this red rose you see
Is just a bit of love from me.
If I were quite grown instead,
I’d fill your arms with roses red.
God made roses red one day
As symbols of great love, they say.
Mother, this red rose you see
Is just a bit of love from me.
If all mothers stood in line
And I could choose who would be mine,
I know just what I would do
For mother, I’d run straight to you.
Mother, this red rose you see
Is just a bit of love from me.
My mother is a wonderful woman. How can I even begin to name the ways in which she has blessed and influenced me? Everything good in me began with her. I’ve also been blessed that the mother of my children is a wonderful woman too. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
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| Stacey in her new Mother's Day/Birthday outfit. (Thank you Geoffrey and Joni!) |
Today at church the mothers were given a treat – brownies, and a potted flower. The weather is beautiful today – a perfect spring day. After church we took a walk around the yard and took pictures. Now we are almost ready to eat. We’re having Stacey’s favorite Mother’s Day lunch – sandwiches, potato chips, cherry Kool-ade, and, as a special treat (at least for me and Stacey), the first picking of our asparagus. This afternoon Daniel will be Skyping us from his mission (one of the two times a year he’s allowed) and we’re excited to see him and talk to him. I hope you all have a blessed Sabbath and a Happy Mother’s Day.
