Pinks!

My love affair with redbud trees started with our first house. A family friend gifted us with several redbud starts from her yard. Having grown up in a Chicago suburb with elm-lined streets and during a time people spent little effort on their yards beyond some foundation shrubs and the lawn, I had never heard of redbuds. But now, if I ruled the world, every yard would sport a redbud tree.

Another pink I look forward to each spring is bleeding heart.

And close on the heels of the redbud is the flowering crab.

I would like to add some pink hyacinth to the front yard as well, because one can never have too many pinks in the spring.

It keeps raining and I keep mowing, grateful for my zero-turn riding mower. My next door neighbor has been using a battery-powered mower this year, but runs out of power several times before finishing. That would annoy me.

Yesterday, while handweeding the beds in the front yard, I wondered just how long I can keep up with the yard upkeep. Today I am a bit sore from bending and stretching and my hands ache, but so far, so good.

A little springtime prep

I tend to accumulate piles of stuff that are destined for a variety of charity shops, but those piles frequently just sit and sit and sit. This past week I actually cleared out the one for the local Restore store. This included a garbage bin I never used for garbage, just bird seed, that has been taking up space in the garage. Farewell!

That bit of clean-up inspired me to get a few more things out of the garage - flamingos. One holds a pot that over the years has sported a variety of annuals, none of which have worked out very well; I'll try something new this summer. Another flamingo is new to the yard.

A new windchime is gracing the pergola over the deck. It makes much better music than any of the other windchimes I have owned. Delightful.

I finally ordered four low-growing chokeberry shrubs, but I am still having trouble finding some of the other items on my plant wish-list. I also find myself not very driven to work harder at locating the plants. It's not like I don't have a wide variety of green things already in the yard. I'll hit some local nurseries and native plant sales once we get closer to May.

Despite nighttime temps in the 20's this past week, it didn't really frost, so those blooming trees and shrubs look fine. Bluebirds have taken up residence in the bluebird house without being harrassed by sparrows - the upsidedown tuna can I put in the box must be working to discourage the latter.

And I put out the rain guage. It hasn't rained since, but this week looks promising.

April showers... and more!

We have had a very rainy week. The rain garden is so full, it is attracting mallards. If I had put out my rain gauge, I could tell you just how much rain my yard has received, but take my word for it - it's a LOT. I have even mowed the lawn, twice.

(Looking at the photo above makes me think surrounding the rain garden with daffodils would be pretty.)

The story behind my quasi obsession with flamingos is based in part on my dad. He was a chemist who at the end of his career landed at Foster Grant in Leominster, Massachusetts, the purported plastics capital of the world. Union Products, the manufacturer of plastic pink flamingos, was also located in Leominster. One day I got it into my head that I wanted some pink flamingos from the source, so I asked my dad to oblige. Three arrived in the mail shortly thereafter. Over the years, and with the help of my son and daughter-in-law, I have added to the collection.

Alas, I am one of those people who is not careful to take all my yard stuff in during the winter. Two of the original flamingos have lost their heads. I'm not one to be sentimental about my belongings, but I am a bit regretful about this little tragedy. The remaining flamingo will become an indoor ornament.

My cataract surgery was successful. I'm a little shocked at how bright everything is. Clio's eye surgery followed; her recovery is a bit more complicated, as she has to wear the "cone of shame". We both have eyedrops, which I administer four times a day.

I uncovered the strawberry plants a few days ago. It looks like they took a beating this past winter. I'm contemplating transplanting the survivors, from the raised bed into the ground proper. The garlic I planted with them seems to be okay, though.

The redbud at the back of the yard is trying to bloom. Too soon! Too soon! We may have a hard frost this week.