Glory of the Snow

Chionodoxa

I had to look this one up. Embarrassing. We have several spring bulbs in this garden at the end of our driveway that I'm not sure the names of, and this was one. This is glory of the snow, and my book says "The strap-shaped leaves form loose, rather untidy rosettes." Who writes this stuff? It cracks me up. I rarely think of flowers as tidy or untidy, but it's a good description. All I know is that it's a lovely plant, and our variety is bright blue-purple which stands out in these early months when there is almost no color in the gardens.

Plant a Seed

Gardening is my way to meditate. I love the physical work, and while I'm doing it I often find myself musing about the metaphors and connections gardening has to the rest of life. For example - it's just about time to start some seeds indoors in preparation for spring planting. Watching indoor-sown seeds gives you the chance to closely watch the process of germination and first growth. This always makes me think about how ideas are often planted as seeds and some germinate into something wonderful while others never see the light of day. Often when you're trying to teach someone something or convince someone of something, you're best to plant the seeds, provide the water and light needed and perhaps throw in some bullshit for fertilizer. You may wonder later why the idea never took root. And I sometimes wonder about that with the spring seeds I plant. Give them all the same soil, water, light and fertilizer and yet there's never 100 percent germination. Some things we don't control. What a lesson.

Helping Hands

Helping hands.

A couple of weeks ago, Oliver and I planted vegetable seeds, getting ready for this year's garden. It was a cold and blustery day, so we did the work in the kitchen and I tried to ignore the incredible mess we created. I mostly succeeded and we had a great time. Oliver has gotten big enough to be helpful and his methodical approch amazes me. We're now watching the seedlings sprout up and cheering them on each day. I hope he grows to love gardening as much as Kevin and I do.

Emerald Isle

I just got back from my annual trip to North Carolina. It's a wonderful get-away, mostly spent soaking up sun and talking with Kim and the ladies. The older I get the more I feel like winter steals your soul and summer gives it back. This year, we came back to cold, gray, windy weather that has persisted. This weekend is the Maple Festival and you need your hat and mittens to enjoy it. Warmer weather has got to be coming, but it still seems far away.