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I am announcing the official start of Spring in Columbus, Ohio. No press conferences just a sip of tea enjoyed with the sound of chimes and the smell of dirt. I have not had the experience of the first frog of Spring but I have not ventured out into land of frogs. Unfortunately, most of Spring still is beyond me – outside. I sit inside with a boot that will be gone before planting starts in earnest. Maybe just a bit of time outside. A mere walk to welcome all things green and new.
A brief survey of my piece of property (sounds so entitled – is property theft?) I examined the many buds that have come out for the official day of Spring.
Northern Magnolia – still nice but not the real magnolias of the southern state – perhaps not fair to the plant to always compare.
Azaela – the flower will be yellow and white. I bit like an exploded egg.
Sand Cherry – not to settle for green, a bit of purple
Of course, the Pussy Willow. I love this bud.
Sedum
Some lovely ethereal plant that will later show delicate flower that vary from white to purple. The name, I believe, starts with the letter F.
Wild Ginger – not for eating just overtaking all around.
A move to the back yard for more that just a bud, more like tasty treats.
Kale.
Cabbage.
Spinach.
Cats. Not part of the tasty treat today, just a side order.
Later.
No snow this week to dampen the spirit of the spring. It is still a bit nippy at your toes (my toes remain in sock but the boot of a broken foot is open-toed), but, there is hope in the somewhat green horizon.
Field of snow drops.
I welcome white that is not snow. I should not complain. Columbus received little snow this winter.
John and I attended a class at the Franklin Park Conservatory this weekend and were a bit disheartened with news that the average last frost in Columbus is the first of May. Cheez. I have all of March and April to pine for the smell of dirt. There are always peas. And lettuce. And greens. And cabbage. And broccoli. All is not lost. John will start clearing the gardens of good days and we are planning to extend the cold frames. At the CRC we had a youth group that planted spring seeds in little pots. They did mark them but who knows what is planted in what. It will be good.
After the classes we joined Erin, Karlene, and Liza (she sews with me and watches small children run around the conservatory. This weeks eating out was all about ice cream. And ice cream at its best. Jeni’s. Poached Pear Sorbet, Buckeye, Pistascio, and Berry with crispy things. It is truly good.
With continued cold things come inside. These guys seem to live in severe conditions. Even my bathroom. I think they call this a stink bug or blister bug or ugly bug.
It is reported that there is an epidemic of the little guys trying to move to warm places – like my bathroom.
I suppose it is all good.
Maybe.
Happy Birthday to Jean, who is embracing her 60 years and looking forward to 60 more.
Later.
Winter once again has slapped me in the face and sent me flying back into the house. Argh.
Oh well. I can live with it. I suppose I have no other choice than to suspend thoughts of young healthy little sprouts
. Except….
Little Paper Whites will soon be lifting all spirits in the house of Jean. Maybe I will invite people for the bud opening.
Outside it is a bit white and very cold.
Notice how Zorro enjoys the snow.
I spent a few hours at the Franklin Park Conservatory at a gardening class.
Back inside kids at the CRC filled the peat pots with dirt ready for little seeds. They also started a terrarium with cacti and venus fly traps. A bit of green in a gray world.
Even with the cold outside there are wee places of warmth – Buckeye Donut down by the OSU campus. The fresh donuts looked amazing but for wheat-free, meat free people as myself it serves up great felafels and humus. Yum. My little friend, Erin, found the fries with some kind of seasoning extra good and found Buckeye Donuts really cool and warm.
All is good.
Later.
Shut-In may be a bit dramatic, even a bit over-dramatic, but mostly ‘in’ I am shut. It has been almost two weeks since the discovery of that tiny break in a bone – I am thinking just a smudge of dirt on the x-ray. I was talking with this stranger walking her dogs and she emphasized not driving in the boot that so accessorizes my foot. Her boot got stuck between the accelerator and the brake causing a run-in where she ran into the car in front of her three times. Not for me.
This morning I did get a rare treat. John drove me to the MidGarden. The CRC had boxes of unclaimed collard greens that were on their way to the compost.
It is bright and sunny today although a hint of cool was definitely still in the air.
Notice the pile of Christmas tree trunks waiting for spring and vines of peas and beans.
There was a frost last night that did add quite a bit of beauty to the thyme and sedum that exist between the rocks in the front yard.
Speaking of food. I made a really great tomato/lentil soup. The star of this soup was fresh kale from the garden. The kale and mustards have survived an amazing mild winter. In the cold frames I still have some chard and spinach. I planted more spinach, lettuce, and bok choi in the cold frames this week (I was very careful with my foot.). While at the MidGarden John and I planned for a long coldframe next to one of the raised beds. I will only supervise when the planning goes into effect later this week. Yeah.
All is good and almost spring.
Later.
