It’s hard to do much outside right now, because the black flies are here in force. Some people call them may flies, and we usually have them for the whole month. They’re a little late this year, luckily, but I can’t stay outside for more than five minutes before they swarm around me. I’m a black fly magnet. Pretty soon, I’ll get out my bug suit anyway, but I haven’t been that motivated yet.
This bleeding heart is such a trooper! It has such a history with us. After the house fire we had in ’96 (total loss), we used to come up to the house in the spring to look at the burnt out shell, before we rebuilt. There were piles and piles of ashes all around the house, and this bleeding heart came up stronger than ever through a huge pile of ash. It made me remember that the whole world wasn’t black and ugly like the house was at the time. Then all through the new construction, it got tromped on and had stuff piled on it, and I thought it surely had no hope, but it came through again. And with the landscaping last fall, they dug it up to move it, and whatever they dug looks dead, and wouldn’t you know, here where they piled all that rock, it’s back!
The hyacinths are blooming nicely, as are some tulips. It is a little strange to have them both at the same time, and both before any of the daffodils. I think the weirdness in the planting in the fall is to blame, so I’m not going to base any assumptions on what will bloom when on this year’s schedule. The rhodendrum are all full of bloom as well, which is nice. The plants themselves are a little scraggly, but that might still be transplant shock. I fertilized all the flowering blooming shrubs today, just in case.
The lawn is sort of starting to come out, at least in patches. The part in the middle of the circular drive looks the best of all, though. I got out there for a little while today and started picking the weeds, which of course are coming up as well. But they are easy to see right now with the thin lawn, so I just can’t ignore them.
Poor silly lawn tractor. Last weekend, I hauled one load of firewood around the back, and stopped to talk to Jeremy on the way for another load. It wouldn’t start up again! Frank thinks there’s something wrong with the starter switch. Very aggravating, right there in the driveway like that though! I was having fun using it, too, darn it.
Frank heard from Skip that he’s going to come out tomorrow, and had wanted to check that all our snow was indeed gone. LOL!