Just when I thought it was okay to go into the water...

 

The dogwoods are the last spring flowering trees to bloom and my favorite.

Or, to say it another way, just when I thought it was okay to put out sensitive plants, we had a freeze. Technically, our last freeze date is not until May 15, so this was not unheard of, but I got fooled. February was warm instead of snowy, and last week we had temperatures in the 80s F. Some plants were covered for the frost and did okay, and some were uncovered and had damage. Oh, well. However, the grass is happy and growing like crazy. It's definitely a busy mowing time of year.

As far as vegetables go, I bought broccoli plants this year. I have always had better success with plants from a nursery than those I have started from seed. We shall see how these do. Also, I've planted radishes, beets, and carrots using old seeds. I sewed them liberally, hoping for enough germination to make it worth the effort. I'm also nursing along some volunteer tomato plants. In a few weeks, after our last freeze date, I will plant the warmer-weather veggies. Some years, I start seeds ahead of time, but not this year. However, if truth be told, I usually wait for extras from friends who start a lot of seeds and have more than they can use. It's a win-win situation. They like to see their plants get used, and I am happy to get them.

And speaking of starting seeds, I will be doing a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) program in May on plants. As part of that, the kids will start bean seeds in plastic bags. Prepping for that, I've been starting seeds every week, so I can have examples at various stages for them to see. I am having fun watching the details of the emerging plants. The beans came from the grocery store, and so far, great northern beans sprout faster than the pinto ones. And the pinto beans' stems twist more, causing problems sometimes. This exercise is meant to see how seeds germinate and plants develop, but starting the seeds in the dirt would probably be better for growing them to harvest. The transplanting has not gone very well so far.

Otherwise, April seems to have evaporated. I'm not sure where all of the time has gone, but Easter and Wally's birthday celebration took up the first part of the month. Also, April is the time for several annual/semi-annual appointments, such as the dentist. Perhaps I need to better organize them and spread the appointments over the year. And let me just mention again I am very blessed to have good insurance. My job doesn't pay much, but it has good benefits. I do not take this for granted.

We took a hike on a local rail trail as part of Wally's birthday celebration.

And when the weather is not cooperating for outdoor work, I am continuing to work on the tribute/this-is-your-life for my father-in-law. And as these projects go, I spend more time than I would like with computer issues than with actual content. The latest has been trying to get PDF files into another format so they can be used by another program. That is, trying to do that without paying for the expensive ADOBE software.

Anyway, we just keep plugging along here with everyday stuff.

Until next time...