Spring, Sproing, Sprung

I swore to myself that I would not take crocus pictures this year. I've got a bazillion from previous years, but, well, how
could I resist?

I planted peas today. I set up a trellis, then planted a row on each side of it. Then at what will be the feet of the pea vines, I planted a row containing spinach, arugula, mizuna and lettuce. The cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower are sitting on the front porch to harden off so I can plant them next week.

Today was unusually warm, in the 80s. Tomorrow the high will be 50, then lower on Sunday with a chance of rain and snow. The high temperatures will then return to the 50s, until late next week when it will drop a bit. We'll have several freezing nights yet, even after my planned planting of cabbages. I'll just bundle them up and trust them to be able to handle a little nip in the air.

The up and down temperatures are typical of March in Kansas, so I'm not going to fuss... much. Once you get a taste of warm days, it is difficult to go back to the icebox.

But I've got peas in the ground. The crocus are blooming madly. Daffodils are sending out green shoots at a frantic pace. Even the tulip leaves are peeking out. The other day I noticed a few lonely snowdrops where I planted them last fall. In future years, they will be out before the crocus. And the lovely little Iris reticulata surprised me yesterday with their purple blossoms.



Iris reticulata

Green is popping up everywhere. Tonight, as I was pottering about, finishing up my work in the garden, I saw vultures gliding across the gray-blue sky. The vultures have returned. That means spring is definitely here.

But spring can be quite chilly, so tomorrow I'm bundling up. Tonight I will lay a fire in the stove so we will have heat in the morning.

Ah, March of the fickle heart. More like sproing than spring.
April usually has a better attitude, but she can turn a cold shoulder, too.
Either way, the Equinox is less than a week away. Then at least the calendar will say "spring."


OK. Another crocus.