Occasionally I Just Gotta Whine - Sorry!

Life is back on an even keel for me. Alana is acting much nicer, and has even called just to talk a few times. Max has apologized and has tried to make it up to me by helping me spread mulch. This is a rare thing for him...he HATES to be outside, unless he is shooting.

Garden-wise, I have got to say that it's turning out to be a sunny place. One year I planted 500 daffodils, and they have multiplied wonderfully. Therefore they are blooming their happy little heads off right now, turning my landscape from leafy brown to yellow glory. The redbuds are just teasing me with the promise of color. I hope that they are blooming tomorrow in celebration of Easter.

Since I'm in the middle of the woods, deer abound. Tulips and crocus are usually nipped off before they can bloom, so after the first naive year of living here, I have avoided planting such tempting treats. I do see, however, that a few of the strong-willed bulbs have survived.

A few years ago Becky Heiden gave me a pink pussywillow shrub. This is the first year that she has put on such a magnificent display of softness. I love to use the branches for floral design, so I'll have to go out to cut a few twigs to use for tomorrow's centerpiece.

Friday I found my first snake. It was an interesting little thing; muddy brown with black stripes running vertically along the 6" length. I must have nearly scared the poor baby to death, as she quickly crawled under a rock. Jaden and Bryan both like snakes so I hope I can show them a few this year. They need to accept snakes as beneficial, and not be afraid of them. Supposedly we have no poisonous snakes here, but we won't push our luck...we will admire the snakes from a safe distance.

As far as my huge koi pond goes, well, it's not good news. The sides have collapsed even farther during the winter. I was able to catch two of the small koi (one a buttery yellow and one a platinum white) and transfer them to a holding tank up by the house. I can see from the window that there are two larger koi, both dark, still in the leaf-filled pond. As soon as the weather warms again I will pull them out. Max has promised me that he will help me reduce the size of the pond by building walls 2' in on each side, backfill with soil, and get the boardwalk around the top this summer. I hope this is one promise that he carries through on.

Daylilies need to be thinned this year, as do the hosta along the side of the house. I must take the iris from the holding bed and plant them at my parent's home in Decatur in July. Hopefully they will give me a good bloom here before I bid them good-bye.

The 'Rustic Rubra' magnolia is just starting to show her colors out in front. In the back, the yellow magnolia (I forgot the variety...good thing I have it labeled!) is dragging her feet, waiting for warmer weather. She is a late-bloomer. I do need to transplant her this year as there is too much shade where she currently resides.

Mowing was a challenge. Since the lawnmower has sat all winter, the tires were flat. There were dried oak and hickory leaves still littering the yard from the strong north winds, so mowing them up was my first priority. Unfortunately I didn't think to wear a face mask, and I inhaled quite a bit of leaf dust, which set off an asthma attack. Guess who won't be mowing bare-faced again!

To spice things up a little, I bought a flat of the huge faced yellow pansies. They are planted in medium-size containers at the top of the stairs near the pond. I also filled the planter under the mailbox so that Deb, our mail lady, would have something pretty to look at when she delivers our goodies.

I can't wait to get back outside to work but for now I have to be content with looking out the window. Bryan is here and has not been feeling well so we will stay inside. Hopefully this week I can see if the veggie garden has done any growing. The radishes were up, but the peas have stubbornly stayed buried and inactive. Fingers are crossed for a good crop!

My next project involves building a raised veggie garden for green beans, zucchini and cucumbers. I'd like to get that done in the next week or so.

Thank you, dear readers, for putting up with my whiny day. I don't have many of them, I promise. Stay tuned to see pics of the gardens in the upcoming weeks.

shel