I must admit, May has been a disappointing month. It was cold and windy with very few days being days you'd really like to enjoy being in the sun and warmth. I think it's really the wind that takes warmth from the air. And today we are expecting the heavy rains and thunderstorms from the mid-west. Of course my irises are about to open and this weather will create havoc. I was outside yesterday for awhile and I just marvel at the colors of some of the irises. I'm not going to cut any irises but I will cut some Korean lilac before the rain comes although I am tempted now to cut an iris or two since there are so many of them out there.  I was assessing the blue irises and it is amazing what they can do with the standards, falls and beards. Some are all blue, some have deeper blue/purple ruffles, some are white and blue, some have deeper falls etc. I can only say, they are just plain handsome.

 

As for the garden, things just don't want to pop! I suppose if you are cold and being dosed with water every two - three days, you wouldn't want to pop either. Many of the seeds I started inside are/were slow in coming so if I get a few peppers and eggplants to transplant, I will be lucky. Some years are like that but this wasn't the year for veggies not to thrive!  I was so looking forward to a good garden.

 

The roses finally came - about a week to ten days ago but still haven't awoke from their dormant state.  Some of the leaves are just about to come, I don't expect to see roses until early July. But sun and water they will have plenty of. Part of my order from Jackson & Perkins just arrived. I was really looking forward to my yellow lilac but lo and behold.....what was to be yellow was "sky blue."  I also ordered two climbing glory - two red climbers for the arbor and received only one. So the second climber had to be reordered and I'm awaiting that one to arrive.

 

Allot of my projects are in "stall mode."  What I had anticipated to be done by Memorial Day weekend will probably take most of the summer.  But that is the way it goes with projects on the old homestead. New emergencies pop up so things get put aside.  

 

My guests didn't come!  When I requested a little more specificity, the response was.......well you know we are free spirits. How do you respond to that ......except not to be at their beck and call.

 

Little Sydney is fine.  14 months old and still has a mind of her own. All I can say is thank God for the power fence. It probably saved her life a dozen times over. Her enclosure is probably a good two acres and she is a sight when she races along the perimeter after the cycles and trucks . This behavior is so ingrained that nothing would change that.

 

Well my friends.....do have a good day and if on vacation.....do enjoy every minute.      Bittersweet

 

 

 

     Today is starting out as a cool relaxing day.  The weather hasn't become particularly warm as yet but perhaps early afternoon I'll enjoy a little warmth before the clouds set in.  71 as our high.  Most of the garden is finally in. We did pick up some tomato plants from one of our neighbors. Dan loves to start a broad spectrum of plants including some exotic and heritage varieties. We also stopped at the plant and bake sale at our local library and picked up some herb plants and of course brownies etc. As I say, you can never have enough herbs.

 

     My rose arbor came so perhaps we can get that up, if not today then certainly this week.  I treated myself to 7 rose bushes, two climbers and 5 tea roses. I haven't done well with roses so we'll see. Our winters are very cold so hopefully I can protect them with straw and burlap.

 

     My concrete floor didn't get poured as a result of other demands on the mason. I was promised again perhaps Monday or Tuesday.  So we'll see.

 

     A friend from the southwest announced she's making an unexpected stop sometime around the 20th of this month. But she doesn't know exactly when. One of the few things I don't like is uncertainty. I tried to tell her as graciously as possible that we need to pin this down. The line went like this:  we're driving cross-country and might make a trip to Niagara Falls and would like to stop by and visit. Fine, but how about a day?????  Not sure I want to be on "hold" for sometime around the 20th!

 

     After I get my morning together, I want to call one of my nieces and wish her Happy Birthday. She lives on Martha's Vinyard and doesn't get a lot of opportunity to get off island especially in the summer. She has done some renovating on her house so I'm sure she'll be happy to talk about the second bathroom that they just finished.

 

     To all the mothers in the world, even if it is just mother's of ideas and projects, have a wonderful day.    Bittersweet