Fibermania

Lovely Unceasing Rains

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This was one of those days that could have been spent in bed, so I did the next best thing and stayed in my pajamas. But I couldn't resist a walkabout early-ish, around 11 in my pink boots, red furry-knit hat and orange pj bottoms. O yes, a sweatshirt finished the ensemble. Be glad you're not my neighbor. It was about 62 degrees and the air was fragrant with the aroma of wet earth.

It had momentarily stopped raining and I decided to see what sprouted overnight. Call me impatient, but I would hate to miss anything making it's premiere appearance. Alone in the woods I looked for new arrivals, knowing there will be trillium, Jack in the Pulpit and others poking through the leaf covered earth any day now.

I had a nice talk with some plants and swore a good deal at the sticker bushes who caught my pjs by the leg. The new finds were two more sets of hosta leaves in the pond-garden, and two emerging curled fiddlehead ferns. I am excited to see ferns which I have always wanted in my garden. They will grow here abundantly, and are evergreen even on the winter hillside.
Yesterday it was sunny and warmer in the afternoon so I planted a trayful of forget me knots and they still look alive, thankfully. And some indoor-sprouted coleus remain robust in the outdoor spots I deposited them. It is good that the rains are gentle and constant, so everything can feel secure in the soil.
The pond is higher than ever and since we expect HEAVY rains tomorrow we are hoping to see the water overcome the edge of that stinkin' drainpipe and make it temporarily disappear.

I looked at my seed packets and decided to broadcast some of them on the hillside and see what roots. I roughed up the surface soil and sprinkled a few in my hand and cast them out onto the dirt. Columbine, tarragon, larkspur, California poppies, and snapdragons. Some of them will take hold I am certain and it will be fun to see sprouts appear next week, since the forecast says it will be in the high 70s.
I laughed at myself for putting peatpots of chives in the garden too. Why waste a peat pot on something that will grow with no help at all? I don't know, just had to try it. All the chives I have ever grown were plants someone was getting rid of, and that tells me something...chives flourish anywhere.

Speaking of thriving anywhere I put these bachelor buttons in the sand at the edge of the pond last week. Not exactly a secure spot, but what do you know? They are growing like mad there. My friend Laura had them in her yard, everywhere, and hated them because they were so promiscuous. We'll see if they continue their naughty ways here.

Out in the rice paddy, AKA the orchard, the pears and plums are bulging with buds. I squish when I walk there, and try to stay near the street edge, or be swallowed up by the soggy mud.

The peaches were the first to fully blossom, but where are the bees to fertilize them? I have seen one. Just one, and maybe a wasp too. Can wasps do a bees job? I have heard of a bee shortage, but don't know how true that could be.

I'll just have to keep the faith a little longer.

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