Bright Ideas

We’ve all been waiting too long for spring to arrive, for overnight lows to stay above freezing, for lilacs to bloom and fruit bearing bushes to flower, be pollinated, with the promise of wonderful tastes to come.

Luckily that held off long enough to avoid May 28 frost, where everything was covered with a delicate white blanket in the early morning.

Rain continued to fall, three inches in a five day stretch. Farmers couldn’t get into their fields; my gardener couldn’t till his garden. All anyone could do was wait, patiently or not. And then the rain stopped, the sun came out, and winds blew long enough to dry the ground.

We are now in a planting mode; potatoes and onions are first, tomato and pepper plants wait their turn. Seeds planted in early June should grow just fine, and we’ll hope for a late fall.

The currant bush is yellow with blossoms; I imagine wild plums are blooming too. Our old apple tree is dressed in blossoms, as is one of our little trees. Jelly makers are gathering jars in anticipation. What ripens first?

We never pick apples before they are completely ripe. I know some people will pick them green, wrap them, and try to finish the ripening process in a dark, cool place. I have never been impressed with the result. I’ll just wait for another year.

I had daffodils and a few tulips earlier; now other plants are growing, with a promise of more blooms to follow. We have two columbine plants growing next to the front ramp. That’s also where a clematis vine winds its way up the front lattice work. Iris leaves promise blooms to come.

Temperatures quickly jumped to 80s. We really don’t have a spring. Summer is here soon after frost melts.