April gifted us snow and floods. May began chilly, then warmed and remained dry. Time to garden like a banshee!

Irene’s rhododendron liked being buried in snow. The part of the forsythia that was buried bloomed too. I may take to piling snow on these plants preferentially.

May saw the first and last of our asparagus harvest. We gorged on fresh stalks for weeks…and then the time to let them grow into fronds came. Asparagus require a bunch of work for a short season, but are worth the trouble. They come and leave early, bridging the space between dandelions and nettles.

An urban friend expressed concern when I posted about eating springtime dandelions. I assured her we have enough to share with the bees.

May 13th: pussytoe riot day.

The pussytoes started blooming on May 10, which is when the rhododendron, cherries, ferns and currants blossomed.

Trillium, tulips, flowering crab, violets, strawberries, jack-in-the-pulpit, wild geranium, yellow violets, apple, plum and pear blossoms festooned Mothers Day.

Stinging nettle requires special handling, but makes lovely pasta, paired with pancetta, lemon zest and goat cheese. I must remember to gather some for tea.

We had several days of Canadian smoke sunrises.

But most days have been clear and warm.

Michael dug and fenced the tomato/eggplant/ chile garden while I was babysitting Grand Girls. A week later I weeded, caged and staked them. They love being in dirt!

Michael dug the weeds out of the “small” garden today. Winter squash will grow all over by the end of summer.

He planted pumpkins behind the chicken coop yesterday.

I turned over and raked out the raised beds, but haven’t planted them. We both have been working on spading up the big garden. Usually everything is planted by the end of May. Not this year. My April 1st snow shoveling injury slows me down. My doc said I may be on the walking wounded list for 6 months. Digging dirt is oddly therapeutic.

The purple potatoes I tucked into the straw pile are thriving. The russets just now peep out.

Honeysuckle, high bush cranberry, viburnum and bridal veil take over as the lilacs fade.

Iris replace tulips.

The new ducklings take their first swim.

I watch in wonder as the Grands continue to grow and thrive. We spend as much time as possible with them. They learn new things almost daily. There is art in advancing all parts of the picture at once. We work on a large canvas. I can hardly wait to see how this season turns out.