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| Forget-me-nots and muscari blooming. |
This has been a marvelous month so far. I say “so far,” because you never know here in Potter County. April was so dismal and wintry, but we haven’t had even one frost since May arrived (knock on wood). And the world has responded with vigor to May’s kindness. The world is full of flowers. In this case it wasn’t April’s showers that brought May’s flowers, but April’s snow – and it worked anyway, if just a bit late. The lilacs have begun to bloom. The fragrant black currant bush and magnolia bush are in full bloom. Out in the meadow, the huckleberries are flowering. And the woodland garden is full of violets and lily-of-the-valley.
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| Lilacs. |
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| Black currant. |
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| Magnolia. |
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| Huckleberries. |
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| Lily-of-the-valley. |
I felt bold and optimistic last week. With temperatures in the 70's, even hitting 80° one day, I couldn’t resist planting some of my tenderer plants – gladiolus, dahlias, marigolds, and cleome. I moved most of my seed starts from inside the house to the back porch – the first step in hardening them off, preparing them for planting out on Memorial Day weekend. And I moved the potted plants that spend the winter in the house – geraniums, osmanthus, and rosemary – out onto the porch to get them acclimated to spending the summer on the back porch steps.
Thursday was the best day of the week. I wasn’t called in to school. The day was warm and sunny. I had a list of projects and the time and energy to tackle them. It was a perfect day. I put up my bean trellis and prepared my tomato beds. I planted carrots and celery. I weeded the peony bed that was full of dandelions. I mowed the lawn – which was also full of dandelions. I spent time in the orchard just wandering among the trees.
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| Bean trellis. |
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| Tomato beds. |
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| The peony bed. |
The orchard is one of my favorite places on earth and this is my favorite time to be in it. I do love being in the orchard in the late summer and fall when I’m harvesting the fruit, but that’s hard work. Now, in May, the trees are in bloom and there is nothing for me to do but admire them – no work involved. There are few things in this world lovelier than a fruit tree in bloom. The beauty and fragrance of the flowers, combined with the promise of fruit later, makes it especially wonderful.
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| Apple tree. |
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| Apple blossoms. |
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| The house seen through the orchard. |
Now with the trees leafing out, the lawn green and lush, and flowers everywhere, the world has returned to what I think of as “normal.” Winter is banished and I don’t want to think about it again for a very, very long time.
Thursday was Stacey’s birthday. We had a nice, quiet celebration. She received some nice gifts. We had her favorite taco dinner. We didn’t have cake. She doesn’t care for cake.
The Shilligs returned on Friday from their long wanderings. It is so good to have them home again. We live in a very small community here and Kurt and Julie make up the largest part of it for us. It’s nice seeing them out in their yard, and seeing lights on in their house at night.
It is cool and humid today. It rained during the night and it looks like more rain is coming. It has been cloudy all day, but the subdued light makes the greenness of the world more intense. Green is my favorite color.
Today was our annual Branch Conference. Stake leaders came down from the northern tier of the Stake to be with us. They ran most of the meetings, including Sunday School, so I didn’t have to prepare and teach a lesson today. In a way it was nice to have a little break, but I missed it. I love teaching the Old Testament. Oh well, I’ll be back at it next week. After church, we had lunch at the Shillig’s house. The food was delicious and it was nice to sit and talk and catch up on things. I’ve finished the chores and as soon as I send this out, I will take a little nap. I love the Sabbath – a beautiful day of rest.
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| One robin has hatched. |
