Spring memories

Well dear readers, spring came this year with a sweet smell! This is the first year in recent memory that spring has felt like true spring. Yes, the allergies have gone nutty, but that's par for the course. Yet, there's been a typical spring-like weather for the last coupla months to allow summer to come more quietly and with more serenity. Time seems to fly, as do my years, but nevertheless, something about this spring has been, well, sweet.

For the last several days I've been picking strawberries in the small patch out back. I've been eating on them, gladly, and tonight put a small bag in the freezer to savor later. I love strawberries, but I love growing my own even more. They are sweeter than the store bought and have a more memorable taste. They remind me of years long past in antiquity when food tasted more like food than cardboard. As I capped them this evening, I could not resist the temptation to snack on one or two, even though supper is just recently eaten. I do love that fruit. A few days ago when I first started checking the berries for ripeness, I noticed that something was eating my strawberries. That just won't do, so I got on the intertron and attempted to find a natural something to deter those insects, (I assume). So, with some info, I took down my little brown jug of "Super Tonic", which contains vinegar, horseradish, onion, garlic, cayenne and ginger, mixed a splash of that with a bit of Dawn dishwashing liquid and water and headed to the garden with my sprayer. While it hasn't completely stopped the occasional munch, it's certainly deterred it, so I go out and spray each evening. Anything for the strawberries :)

Next to the berries is my russian sage. Boy, that has bloomed so heavily this year and the bumblebees love it. They have been thick on the bush this year and it's so soothing to watch them light on blossom to blossom, then heading over to the blooming comfrey. Yes, spring is beautiful this year.

My miniature sour cherry tree is heavy laden this year as well. I can't wait to get that handful of cherries. Someday I hope to have enough for a cherry pudding, but it'll be a while yet. The tree is only two years old. Last year I got one, lone cherry and it was good! The elderberries have spread this year, so I expect to have more than a few of those this year. Last year there were only a few, so I'm praying for the second year to be a boon year.

I think not having a late frost this year helped to make everything just rich and full. I even picked my first rose of the season this year. My favorite natural scent and it's rich in my little rose bush this year.

The peonies are about to pop, too. Were it not for the pesky ants, I'd fill my home with their blossoms, as the scent is heavy and sweet.

Finally, the husband has been mowing hay today. It's the first time we've mowed for hay on this place. But, with it being $5. for a small square bale, we figured we ought to make our own. So the husband brought down the old farm equipment from Mom Elseas and mowed today. It was like watching an old movie as I watched him on the tractor with hat and sunglasses in the 80+ sun. Some of my fondest memories of our younger days were him on the tractor in the hay. I'm sure I won't enjoy it quite so much when it comes time to load it. I think he plans on doing that by hand, so I'll be dead tired and ache like a toothache after that. I doubt dad's old baler will do the job anymore. They used to get aggravated with it back in the 80's and it's 20 years later now. But, we shall see, I'm sure.
Nevertheless, haymaking and spring time go hand in hand.

So, that's it, dear reader, just some talking about the garden and the warmth of the sun. I"m another year older, since my last blog, but don't feel it most of the time. Mostly I just wonder how time slipped by so quickly.

Til next time..