It came, but no one noticed.

  Spring has slipped in almost unnoticed.  Folks have other things on their minds.  Some are worried as their pantries are running low, some are fretting that the sore throat could be the start of something much worse than a cold, others are concerned about their neighbors, their loved ones, themselves in this time of uncertainty.  And rightly so.  Still, Lady Spring came and no one noticed.  She spread her beauty out before us and waited but no one came to the party.

  As I was out and about today, I took in the beauty around me.  Every plant was bursting forth with new growth and blooms.  Birds were singing and bees were busy gathering pollen.  A fine breeze blew in off the water making the day a delight...so much so that I had to smile and literally give a big "thank you" to the lovely Lady Spring.  Her ability to adorn the world in loveliness after the drab winter is one to be admired.  Her ability to lift the spirits of those in despair is to be appreciated.

  One of my favorite things is to see the fruit trees in full bloom.  Hopefully, this means that in a few months, those same trees will be heavy laden with fruit.  The sight of the snow white pear blossoms and the rich pink peach blossoms gives hope that the world will survive this chaotic time.  Given time, things will heal.  We will heal.  Patience and time...patience and time.

Creeping In...

  Despite have a couple of cool nights, I think spring must have come slipping in without big fanfare.  Lady Spring has a way of letting us know by subtle hints before bursting forth in all her glory.  A tiny wood sorrel bloom, a bird calling for its mate or just a warm night can bring joy because these are harbingers of what is to come.  Usually, here on the Bayou, one of our first clues is hordes of gnats.  This year, however, those gnats never disappeared so their presence meant nary a thing.  Still, I do believe spring has quietly come.

  As Son and I were working out back near the canebrake, a slight breeze wafted our way and caused me to stop in my tracks!  Yep!  That is the "smell" of spring.  The citrus trees are all pushing out their blossoms and the yard is filled with the sweet scent.  The first to bloom are always the lemon trees followed by the navel oranges then come the satsumas and grapefruit.  What I was smelling today was the navel oranges and lemons!  How delightful!

  Our chores soon took us to the opposite side of the house where I smelled the marsh but found more evidence of spring.  The fig trees were all budding out with new leaves and one had a brave little fig!  There was not a leaf on the tree but a tiny little fig had decided it was time to make a debut!  Ta-da!  I am here!  Oh, little figlet (yeah, I know...not a word but should be!), you may be getting a tad chilly before you are able to mature but I admire your tenacity!

  So, perhaps I did not pull all of the potted plants out of the greenhouse prematurely.   Perhaps, I will not have to drape blankets over said plants because of threatening frost (like last night).  Perhaps...just perhaps Lady Spring is here to stay.

Pink Accessories For Lady Spring!

  As rain pelts the rooftop of the Little Bayou House, one has to wonder if spring is already here.  The temperature sits right at 70 degrees and does not seem to want to make any slid downward tonight.  Perhaps later in the week, a cooler night or two may make an appearance but, for now, the weather is screaming "Spring!"  Not only are the temperatures higher than usual for February, our fruit trees have also decided that winter is over.  In fact, Old Man Winter never made it this far south and now Lady Spring is popping in for a visit.  Let's hope she brings a sweater or two just in case Old Man Winter is not through with us yet!

  This afternoon, a stroll about the gardens left me in awe that so many blossoms were on the fruit trees.  One in particular bothers me, however, as I was in hopes that the tree would have a nice crop this year.  In the east garden, a small peach tree is dotted with the dark, rich pink blossoms.  This tree produces the sweetest peaches that I have ever eaten.  Years ago, my uncle brought me a bag of peaches from Georgia and on a whim, I poked a seed in a flower pot.  (Now, I wish I had done the same with the whole dozen of seeds.)  The seed sprouted the next spring and grew quickly into a lovely tree.  After planting the sapling in the ground, it promptly made dozens of peaches that spring.  Last year, the tree was loaded but the squirrels and raccoons ate most of them so Son has promised to devise some system to keep the critters from raiding the tree if it makes this spring.  Now, I am not so sure that is going to happen.  If we get our late freeze that Mom used to call the "Easter Freeze", the tiny peaches will be ruined before they fully develop.  Mom always use to warn Pop about planting his crops too early because of this very reason.  He still planted and we wound up covering about sixty acres of small plants before nightfall.  At least, I am only worried about this one peach tree!  Yes, the rest of the fruit trees are blooming, as well, and, yes, they will freeze, too, but the pantry shelves have no peach jam.  I was in hopes that this tree would give me enough to remedy that situation!

  Even with the worries of losing the fruit, it was a pleasant surprise to see so many blooms on my walk today.  Usually, February is our grey month.  Grey skies, grey clouds, grey gardens...nothing has color but pink was the color today!  Lovely pink peach blossoms ruled the day!  The lovely Lady Spring chose to accessorize with pink blossoms!

Peach Trees, Garlic and Water Bottles

  With spring bursting at the seams with its floral display, one cannot help but be totally enchanted by the change that has taken place.  Just a couple of weeks ago, the place was that drab "winter" brown with dead leaves on the ground and bare trees.  Then, Lady Spring made her entrance and adorned every branch with either a blossom or a budding leaf.  The look is magnificent!

  Down near the canebrake, the old peach orchard still has a few trees struggling to flourish.  Tree borers killed a good many of the trees during an off season when we were not diligent about protecting them  Now a few linger and, perhaps with our efforts, can survive.  Lady Spring made sure we would not forget the trees again this year.   The few remaining trees are covered with the largest, healthiest blooms possible!  Maybe our efforts are succeeding.  Now, if I can only keep the squirrels, coons and deer out of the fruit trees, I will be happy!

  Speaking of peach tree borers, I am beginning to wonder if I should have heeded Pop's advice.  Back on the farm, he never had a problem after he began the "fix".  Pop did not mind trying unusual methods to remedy problems.  For the borers, he planted garlic around each tree.  Supposedly, the larvae do not like garlic.  When they make that trek from the soil to the tree trunk, they are hesitant to pass through the garlic cloves.  I figure this is worth a shot!  I have plenty of garlic to plant.  Also, to help with worms in the peaches, he used to hang a simple bottle of water in each tree. I am not sure how this helped but I never remember biting into a worm when eating a peach.  Again, this may be worth trying.  For now, I will enjoy the beauty.  Tomorrow, I plant garlic.

Mother Nature and Lady Spring Were On The Job!

  The first day of spring came to the Bayou with all of its glory blazing.  It was a gorgeous day with sunshine, a slight breeze and all of the other trappings.  Birds were singing, bees were buzzing and flowers were blooming....everywhere!  Yep.  The hillside is in full bloom and the yard smells divine!  After a long few months of nothing but rain and fog, spring is welcome.

  After helping Son install a new ceiling in the hallway, I headed out to the gardens.  If spring is here, it is high time to get those seeds in the ground.  Of course, the potatoes are already 15 inches tall and the greenhouse is full of seedling tomatoes and bell peppers but I have a hankering for fresh squash and green beans.  Having little packets of seeds is not satisfying that whim at all so it was my aim to get the garden in shape.  About two hours later, a break was needed so gardening evolved into a hike.  Oh, what a glorious time, that was!!!

  Citrus trees, peach trees, plum trees were showing their best attire, wisteria draped heavy sprays of blossoms across the arbor and tiny wildflowers dotted the hillside.  It was almost as if overnight, Mother Nature decorated the Bayou! She called Lady Spring to drop in for a visit!  As I wandered about the place, I was simply dazzled by the sight.  Spring is definitely here.

Its Here!

  Even though we are experiencing a slight bit of cool weather, I think spring is in full swing here on the Bayou.  That is one thing about living in the Deep South, our seasons seem to have a mind of their own.  We endure our couple of weeks of winter chill, then hop right back into summer.  Mother Nature is fickle enough to drop a few surprises along the way but, for the most part, warm is the word. 

  With that lovely warmth comes a burst of color.  The azaleas and spirea are in full bloom!  With the wisteria and citrus blooms dousing the yard with their heavenly aromas, the color splash blends right into the mix.  Early this morning, I could not help but take a leisurely stroll about the yard instead of the rapid pace hike that usually occurs.  This stroll allowed me to soak up every bit of Lady Spring's glorious contribution to the yard.  She must have worked overtime!  Lord have mercy!  The place is splendid!  

  After dillydallying around in the gardens for a good half hour, my play time had come to an end.  It was time to get back to the grind of staining those flooring boards.  What I imagined would take a couple of days at most has turned into a two week ordeal and I am only half way finished.  Each plank takes six coats of stain and clear finish so my painting hand is getting a workout!  I think tomorrow will find me toting the planks out into the garden so at least I can enjoy the beauty while I work.  Happy (Early) Springtime from the Deep South!

Old Man Winter, meet Lady Spring!

  While most of the country is being bombarded with yet another bout of frigid weather complete with ice and snow, here on the Bayou, we are experiencing a different type of weather.  One day will be warm and foggy, then comes the almost hot and rainy followed by more cold. Today was that drippy, warm day.  Although the rain held off until nighttime, it was still humid enough to feel downright muggy at times. A strong south wind warded off any idea that it was summer since any wind coming across cold water can chill to the bone.  So, we know winter is still capable of pulling a fast one on us and freezing any plants that have dared to poke out buds.

  The cold hardy camellias are in full bloom.  These blooms seem to thrive in thirty degree weather.  Anything below that will mar the gorgeous five inch blossoms but they do, indeed, love cool weather. Old Man Winter holds the lovely pinks, reds and whites of camellias. Old Man Winter, meet Lady Spring!  She gently caresses the sunny daffodils...those harbingers of springtime!  A few brave souls have dared to show the pretty, bright blooms around the hillside.  The buttercup-yellow heads nod gently in the winds and bring a smile to all who chance upon them.  Sadly, they will surely perish in the coming cold.  

  It  bothers me a bit to see so many springtime flowers already popping out.  Our peach trees have decided that it is warm enough to burst forth with their pink blossoms.  Two nights from now, we are due for some more harsh cold and that will put a damper on any peach crops for this year.  Daffodils and peach blossoms should wait for a bit!  Lady Spring, I hate to tell you this but Old Man Winter may still have a few more tricks up his sleeve!