Seed Time

Last week Oliver and I planted some seeds to get them started indoors in hopes of getting a jump on the growing season. He's only two but he was pretty helpful with planting, covering, tamping and watering the seeds. I can't wait until the seedlings start to pop up and he can see them growing. I'm eager to see if he'll understand and to see if he's as fascinated as I am with their growth and progress each day.

Warm Weather

We just experienced some record temps for April - hitting 70 and 80 for a couple of days. It felt wonderful, but weird at the same time. In just a couple of days the change to the trees, grass and gardens was amazing. Of course, it can't last, but it's a sign of things to come and I for one cannot wait. Here's a picture my brother took that sums up the blue-sky, bud-bursting weather we've had.

Marching Along

I always say you can't trust March. We've had some incredibly warm weather, days when even I was outside in short sleeves. Kevin raked out all the gardens and the backyard was drying up admirably. And then, of course, we got some more snow. And this morning, it's a disgusting 10 degrees out. These are the cold snaps that really frost my tulips --- literally. But it can't last and I know that we'll have warmer weather soon. We're seeing tulips, daffodils, narcissus, and have six or eight crocuses in bloom. Oliver likes to get down on his knees and count them ... and so do I. It's a count-up to spring. A countdown to summer.

Hello Tulips!

Our first spring bulbs have made an appearance. We've had  an unusually warm spring with very little snow and so the tulips and crocuses in the front gardens poked their heads up a couple of weeks ago. I love to check their progress every day, once on my way to work and again when I get home. I can't really describe the feeling of happy encouragement I get from the sight of these green shoots. It's a sign that --- no matter how cold and dreary or how wet and muddy or how short the days --- spring is coming. And there's no stopping it. This year, Oliver is old enough to understand what I'm showing him and he's learning to recognize the growing plants. "Hello Tulips!" he likes to call out and I laugh out loud because his joy so closely mirrors my own.