Happy Mother’s Day to all!

The afternoon weather is what we hope for and don’t get as often as we’d like. As an extra special surprise for the mother of our household, I noticed and pointed out to her that the bulbs we planted by the patio/porch last autumn have now sprouted and emerged. At least most of them seem to have. We broke the No Mow May ban since the soil temperature has been well above 50℉ for over a week, dandelions are in flower everywhere, the pear tree is in bloom, violets and creeping Charlie are in flower in front of the house and wild bushes are in flower almost everywhere. The leaf mulch stays in place in the lily bed and elsewhere for any slow to emerge insects. Meanwhile, I’ve still got to gather and burn a bunch of downed, dead branches from last winter.

pollinator at work

Photo by J. Harrington

Our mosquito hatch has been unfortunately successful from the perspective of the bitees. It looks like we have two male Baltimore orioles coming to the feeders, plus the usual assortment. There are few bare branches in the tree tops. We are rapidly headed toward summer mode. As usual, we haven’t had much of what most folks would consider spring. Next week is to be savored. Then, on to Memorial Day

Finally, we’re a little tardy in reporting the contents of yesterday’s Community Supported Agriculture share:

• Black Seeded Simpson lettuce
• Tango lettuce
• Arugula
• Broccoli Raab
• Rover Radish

The Raincoat

Ada Limón - 1976-

When the doctor suggested surgery
and a brace for all my youngest years,
my parents scrambled to take me
to massage therapy, deep tissue work,
osteopathy, and soon my crooked spine
unspooled a bit, I could breathe again,
and move more in a body unclouded
by pain. My mom would tell me to sing
songs to her the whole forty-five minute
drive to Middle Two Rock Road and forty-
five minutes back from physical therapy.
She’d say, even my voice sounded unfettered
by my spine afterward. So I sang and sang,
because I thought she liked it. I never
asked her what she gave up to drive me,
or how her day was before this chore. Today,
at her age, I was driving myself home from yet
another spine appointment, singing along
to some maudlin but solid song on the radio,
and I saw a mom take her raincoat off
and give it to her young daughter when
a storm took over the afternoon. My god,
I thought, my whole life I’ve been under her
raincoat thinking it was somehow a marvel
that I never got wet.

********************************************
Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.