Blackberry Bloom

Our blackberry bushes are in full bloom, and it's funny to see one of the central flower focal points of the backyard become a thorny patch of canes. It's inspiring to think that each of those small white rosettes will become a thimble-sized berry, which will then become pie filling. This year's full bloom occurred in the first few days of June, which feels a little early. No complaints, a longer growing season will hopefully bear sweeter fruit.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Well, our jump-start on the growing season was just over taken by weeks of cold, rainy weather. The mountains got snow over Memorial Day weekend, in fact. I've braved cold weather to plant the vegetables that weekend, but it was impossible this year after days of driving rain. At the end of it, washed out roads closed many Vermont schools and our backyard was full of standing water. The Brussels sprouts and peppers we'd planted seem to have weathered this weather better than I. A return to warm weather this week is starting to erase my irritation with fickle spring. But only our rainflowers (above) are truly happy.

Warm Weeks

After two weeks of warm, sunny weather our trees and flowers are budded and blooming. It's been a kickstarter spring. I've enjoyed coffee on the porch day after day in just shirtsleeves when normally these early spring mornings are pretty darn chilly. The temperature has reached 80 many days and everyone has broken out their shorts.

Even more remarkable than the warmth is the string of 15 days without rain, or heck, even clouds. That's just not Vermont.

Rather than look a gift warm spell in the mouth, we have put it to good use, getting the vegetable garden tilled and even some of the hardier plants in the ground. In between sawhorses we'll use to cover them when the frost returns, of course. We're optimists, not fools.

Spring Haiku

Green limns bare branches
While we shuck jackets and shoes
Spring covers and uncovers

It's that time of spring when my favorite green is on display. I love it because it's brief and promising. As the new leaves emerge, trees are outlined in this yellow-green, bright and optimistic. You'll see it for a week or two, then it's gone and we move onto summer's full-leaf green. We've had a week or two of unseasonably warm weather: Yesterday it was 78 or so and it inspired our first few tulip blooms. Ah... spring.