Baby Come Back!

Hey Spring, come back!  We really liked you.  I hope that we didn't give you the wrong idea by complaining about the wind and the rain (and the sleet and the hail).  We were glad that we didn't have to shovel the driveway anymore and were looking forward to the blossoms and the flowers.

Last week I  began my annual tradition of making daily rounds along the flower beds.  As I balance on the bricks I notice the whorls of ferns and hostas, the nubs of the peonies breaking through the ground, and oh look, the surprise lilies grew three inches overnight!  The leaves of the irises, daylilies, daisies, and tulips have all shot up; the forsythia and hyacinth have braved their blossoms, the hydrangea has begun to replenish its leaves, and even the rosebush is covered with red sprouts.  I pause by each plant,  turn and view the yard from different vantage points, and then I begin to dream.  I could put some kind of wall over there for the wisteria to climb; a picket fence around the vegetable garden to keep the bunnies out; a Japanese garden in that corner complete with bamboo, a koi pond, and a torii gate; in the front yard a parterre with a peach tree at each front corner and a fountain in the middle...  Who am I kidding?  We can barely keep the grass mowed!  So I try to tone down my dreams a little bit.  I drive around town looking for inspiration for what grows well here --  grass, grass, grass, shrub, house; grass, grass, grass, gravel, shrub, house;  grass, grass, grass, gravel, phlox, shrub, house.  It is pretty exciting.  So I called a local nursery and paid a guy $40 to come to my house and tell me that my yard is full of roots and shade and nothing would grow well in it.  Thank you so much!  I had no idea that I had so much shade and had not noticed all of my big trees.  I really appreciate your guidance!  Those same trees also hamper my grand plans of planting one zillion bulbs in the fall because every spare hour is spent raking the generous amount of leaves they produce.  I always pine over the the frilly, multi-hued tulips, the double-headed daffodils, and the fluffly allium I failed to plant.  Sigh.

photo taken on this, the sixth day of April, 2009 -- look at the hyacinth, isn't it sad?  It can't blossom.  It can't even stand up.  (Veggie Tales allusion)

So Spring, come back, any kind of fool could see there was something in everything about you.  Spring, you can blame it all on me.  I was wrong, and I just can't live without you...