The past three days have been absolutely gorgeous.  Yesterday we saw a high of 87 and if you watched closely you could see the grass grow!  Well almost. Today is pleasant but about 20 degrees cooler.

 

I finished "In This House of Brede," and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved her use of language and the subtle subplots that ran throughout. I was feeling very depressed over the Virginia Tec incident and this was the right book at this moment.  I was totally enthralled by the beauty of her writing and her ability to develop characters out of a cloister of nuns. 

 

I went out to my gardens and was a bit disheartened by the winter damage.  I fear that the very warm temps in early January encouraged some early growth and then of course our winter came in mid-January and I have lots of wind burn and damage to my irises and daffadils.  If you can believe this, my first daffodil opened up yesterday. Half the size and beaten up.  Next year but the forsythia will have a good year this year.  And hopefully we'll have a splendid lilac year.

 

I'm not sure how I got it into my head but I decided I'd like two crab apple trees for the lawn.  They have wonderful spring blooms and wonderful fruit for the birds.  So my gift to the earth for this year.  The family spent part of the weekend planting 30 seedllings; white spruce, blue spruce and scotch pine.  We've been doing this for several years now.  Ordering seedlings from the Cooperative Extension and planting them around the property.  It gets harder and harder to figure out where these every year.

 

I hope your day goes well and remember to give those you see a smile.    Bittersweet

I apologize for being somewhat tardy about my entries this week.  I'm still struggling with the senseless shootings on the VT campus. Such beautiful lives lost to the machinations of a distorted mind.  These are things you never get over.

 

I have lost myself in Rumer Godden's book "In This House of Brede."  Probably a good thing. It is a book I've thought of reading for years and when I found it in one of my book clubs, it was time to buy it.  The book follows the religious life of a highly successful professional woman who leaves an elite London life to join a cloistered Benedictine community.  What I find fascinating is how successful Godden is at making so many of the woman in the community come to life.  She has the art of character development down pat.  I must admit I am enjoying the book very much.

 

Spring has finally come.  I popped outside yesterday just to see how things were coming.  We had a nor'easter last weekend and into the early part of the week and todays temps should be in the sixties and seventies over the weekend.  I went out to the garden house and decided that with a nice awning, this would make a perfect space for my orchids for the summer. It has a brick paver patio and if I install an awning over the patio I can protect them from the heat.  And of course, a rain barrel to collect the summer rain. Rain water is probably the best for orchids.

 

So spring is finally descending upon us.  It has been a very long winter probably because it never got started until mid-January.  I hope you are all well.   Bittersweet on-the-hill.

 

I'm not sure if the day should unfold any differently than it usually does even if it is the 13th!  I also love black cats too.

 

The weather is lousy, lousy lousy.  Was I emphatic enough about that.  Wet snow and sleet yesterday,more rain and then the possibility of a nor'easter riding up the coast and turning into a major snowstorm on Sunday/Monday. I was looking at the projected weather for the week and every day will be much the same - precipitation with the outcome being guided by the temps.  So I'll expect some snow, sleet and rain not just for this weekend but right up to the next weekend. 

 

I must say I find this very depressing.  I can understand why people get depressed and are diagnosed with SAD.  I'm not one to get depressed easily but when you look outside and it is more like Thanksgiving than spring, your spirits plummet deep into the pit of your stomach.  It probably is a good thing that I have these orchids!  I know you know what's coming.  I just know.  Yes.....on Sunday I went on eBay and quickly looked at the orchids for auction.  Easter Sunday and no bidders!  Well I had a field day.  13 new orchids; two from Vermont on Wednesday, 4 from California and 2 from Chicago yesterday and the rest from Florida in a day or two. All because spring hasn't come and I'm suffering momentarily from SAD.  And then a friend of mine who had to make a quick trip to Florida dropped off two trays full of orchids for me to care for while she is away.  They are in the kitchen too sitting on the rug in front of my garden cart.

 

So now do you want to hear about my other penchant?  Books.  The box from the post office wasn't my last group of orchids but rather a box of books from Bas Blau.  Two books I've been looking at for a long time was "Decorating With Books" and  "The Country Farmhouse." Got em!  "The London Scene," - six essays on London Life by Virginia Woolf, and "The Novel 100 - a ranking of the greatest novels of all time.  The last one is a strange one.  It has piqued my interest for years.  "In This House of Brede" by Rumer Godden.  The story is about  "a highly successful professional woman who leaves her life among the London elite to join a cloistered Benedictine community."  Rumer Godden was born in England and started writing fiction as an adult living in India and continued writing upon moving back to England. I'll be interested in reading not only the storry of Philippa Talbot but also her perspective on different life styles.

 

My immediate task is to figure out how I will grow my newest orchid, Stanhopea.  It is planted in an open basket without growing media.  The roots are exposed and the flowers form from under the roots whit the plant itself grows on top.  Much like a vanda in a vanda basket.

 

Peace to all.   Bittersweet on the hill.

 

PS...two of the books was for my brother.  "Julia Childs - my life in France" and "The Fish Theatre." Don't ask me.

 

A happy spring to all my blogging friends.  And to those that celebrate Easter.....well may the Easter Bunny find much to be excited about.

 

It is a very cold raw day and I must confess - gray, dreary and depressing.  I think some wet snow in the higher elevations tonight.  But the woodstove is churning away and I am quite content.

 

I did something different a few minutes ago.  We have a chocolate shop that makes all of their own chocolate and candy and created a wonderful Easter basket for me. Can you imagine a basket full of your favorite creations? Gosh...how decadent! Then i went to Lands End and picked out some vibrant and colorful tee-shirts including a few stripped tees.  I'll be the best dressed gardener around.  Do you think that will have any effect on the quality of the flowers and bulbs?   I don't think so either.

 

I'm sitting here writing this and a flashback came to mind.  When I first moved into my home in Tucson, that was 2002, I was several months delayed in getting there.  So the house was empty and I think the birds thought the patios, walks and bushes werethere for them.  I was going down the back walk, and all of a sudden something flew past me just missed grazing the top of my head. It  sounded like a freight train blowing past my head.  I don't mind saying it startled the bejesses out of me.  Well it was a hummingbird.  He must have thought the back yard path was his flying corridor and I have to tell you hummingbirds are very territorial. I thought about it for awhile and thought....maybe I was reacting to the startle effect.  Several days later my youngest brother was out back, and all of a sudden I hear......"Jesus, what was that?"  I walked out to the patio with a smile and said......oh, the hummingbird!  This little guy got a real charge out of sweeping toward us and just missing our heads.  That's when I learned they were very territorial and we were invading his space. What is amazing is the sound of their wings when in flight.

 

Which reminds me - one of the most regal birds I have seen while there was the desert quail with their top knots.  Just lovely as they walk especially when walking in lines.

 

Anyway....I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend whatever your religious persuasion.  Be well.   Bittersweet

Good morning.

Am I doing something special for the day?  No....not especially so. I got up early and enjoyed some coffee and toast with homemade apricot jam. Then started reading a tad more on orchids and shorting will do some misting and watering. I am so happy when I see some new growth or new roots.  And of course I add to my collection of orchids as unobtrusively as possible. Every day or so I mention to him to check with the post mistress if any orchids have come in. I don't want them sitting there for stretches of time without me being notified.  But our post mistress is in her mid-eighties - the longest serving post mistress in the country and has become quite forgetfull with age.  We're lucky to get our own mail in our box and I cringe at the thought of what we don't get.

 

I'm sure many of you including myself are watching March Madness. Yesterdays games were anything but exciting and of course I was rooting for the underdogs Georgetown and UCLA.  Needless to say........

 

While the temperatures aren't exactly warm here, there is the beginnings of a pinkish blush to the trees and the forsythia have that yellow huge. The daffadill bulbs are sprouting from the ground so maybe in a week or two we'll see some progress.  My blog buddy Danele talks of the grass being cut and we just saw the last of the snow dissipate! Certainly no equity here.

 

Anyway, have a good day.  Bittersweet