April Renewal

Every year, when April arrives, I debate with myself whether I love April as much as I do October. I'm still not sure! The world wakes up from winter, and puts on a fresh, green coat. Every flowering tree bursts into bloom, and bulbs pop up everywhere. It's hard to keep up with it all. 

April starts out slow. Crocus and daffodils are still around at this point. 

Then there are some pretty little minor bulbs to enjoy. I doubt that anyone else even notices them, but they're mostly for my enjoyment anyway. 

Soon, there are flowers everywhere. 

Another big show for April is the flowering trees that bloom just about everywhere. This year in particular, the world was amazingly full of them. It actually made me gawk while driving around town. Here at my house, it starts with the ornamental pear street tree, then my little baby lilac, and finally my beloved redbud tree. Once upon a time, we had three crabapple trees that would be in glorious bloom this time of year. But they've been attacked by scale insects, and they only put out a few skimpy flowers. We're treating them, but they seem too far gone to recover. We'll see. And by the way, that baby lilac bush? It's actually a good 10-12 years old. It never gets any taller, but it does put out plenty of fragrant flowers. 

But what I really wait for all month is the arrival of the tulips! I just plain love them, always have. 

After all that, something strange happened. It snowed, on April 21st! I've never known it to snow that late in the spring before. We knew it was coming, so I covered up many of my plants with sheets and towels, hoping to save them. Amazingly enough, there was no real harm done. 

The funny thing about snow is that it can actually provide insulation from cold temperatures. I know these pansies aren't really amazing to look at, but what makes them special, is that I planted them last fall! They spent several weeks under the real winter snow, and it was plenty cold too. But they lived on to bloom again in the spring. 

One last story to share about an April renewal of sorts. Last fall, an autumn storm blew my rose arbor askew. It was close to ten years old, so not really surprising. But it was cold already, and I was overwhelmed to think how I was going to extricate it from the two roses, and put in a new arbor. So we left it to sit there all crooked through the winter. I'm sure the neighbors were puzzled. Finally, I decided that I could replace the old wooden arbor with a metal version, by tearing down the old one, and scooting the new one up under the roses. The wood was rotten, and came down easily. But putting the new arbor up wasn't easy, and we certainly got scratched by the New Dawn rose on one side. The next day, another storm arrived, and the brand new arbor was now askew also. Talk about aggravating! Out of frustration, we left the new arbor to sit crooked for a few weeks, while mulling over a solution. Finally, I decided to first remove the thorny New Dawn rose, which was a project in itself. It wasn't very healthy anyway, and on the other side is a Zepherine Drouhin rose that's gorgeous, fragrant, and thornless. Then we figured out that we could pound long rebar poles into the ground, and place the new arbor onto the poles. So far, so good! It's been several weeks, and it's still standing straight and tall. I know it looks a little lopsided without a rose on each side, but there is a clematis that should fill in the empty side. 

And so the world came back to life in April. You know what else is renewed? My life! You see, I'm now fully vaccinated, and able to move about the world with a little more comfort. I finally got to hug my family, I've had a haircut, been to the dentist, and even renewed my license. If you haven't gotten your vaccine yet, I highly recommend it. And thanks for stopping by my blog! 

The April Where We All Stayed Home

We're still locked down here in Ohio, as most places are. Some businesses will start up again soon, some will have to wait. Those that open will certainly look different. And yet hubby and I have mostly decided to remain cautious for awhile yet, until we see how it plays out.

I'm amused to see so many people jumping on the gardening bandwagon through it all. They've discovered what I've known for years, that gardening will soothe the soul. Of course my seeds were all ordered long in advance, but I went to order a couple of extras and was shocked to see them sold out of so many varieties. However, I'm pleased to hear that so many others will be enjoying gardening this year. Hopefully they'll continue on for years to come.

All this time at home has given both of us plenty of extra time to work in the garden. It's nice to be ahead of the game for once, and well prepared for the upcoming warm weather gardening. We've been working on cutting out new edges around all the borders, which is especially easy to do after spring rains pass through. I've transplanted stray plants, removed overly enthusiastic ground covers, started seeds, planted perennials, watched our spring vegetables sprouting, and often just admired whatever pops up. Each arrival has been marked with a flurry of photographs, and all those photos are promptly edited for use later. Yes, I'm definitely enjoying this gift of time at home.

But there are many disappointments to deal with during this Coronavirus pandemic, although I'm trying not to think about those. If I do start to dwell on the downside, it's just too disturbing to my psyche. So I put those thoughts away until later, and use the time to my advantage. I'm not sure when I'll see my family and friends again, or when I'll feel safe in the world. I'm particularly sad to miss my annual trip to the Tulip Festival in Holland Michigan, which of course has been canceled. But we've had many home cooked meals and fresh baked goods. The house is clean and organized, and laundry is usually caught up. I'm doing yoga by Zoom, and having my piano lessons by Skype. I've read several good books, and talked about them online. I'm craft painting anything that doesn't move, and crocheting up a storm. Hubs is not doing any business travel, and working from home full time for the first time in years. And the garden looks fantastic! These are the positives from our end.

Because I am missing the tulip festival, my own tulips have been especially appreciated this year. And there are still a few more to come. Oh how I love tulips!

We've also had time to watch the spring birds with more interest. We've seen many varieties that seem  new to us, but perhaps they've always been here and we just never noticed. Right now, a sparrow is loudly proclaiming that the birdhouse belongs to him, while a mama mallard has nestled underneath with her eggs, and the cardinals are once again playing tag. I've got news for that pesty house sparrow. You can't even fit in that birdhouse anymore. I put on a shield to keep you out, hoping that nicer birds move in. So go away already!

In a few days, it will be May. Our state will then begin lifting some restrictions. I personally think it's too soon, so I'll continue to be safe at home for the most part. Hubs has done all our grocery shopping with a mask on, during the senior hours. I haven't been anywhere other than closed car errands or porch drop offs, but I do have a plan for my first outing soon. I may be overly cautious due to my immune system being compromised, but I draw the line at my annual spring shopathon at the garden center. I have my detailed list ready, I've got a mask and gloves, and I'll be going during their senior hours for extra precaution. So I'm ready! I have a long list, and it's not the kind of thing I can trust others to take care of for me. After all, I can't hide inside forever.

Hopefully next month when I post here, we'll be through the worst of it, although it sounds doubtful. At least I have my garden for comfort, and hubs at home with me in our cozy nest. Be safe and well my friends!