Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day, dear readers! I hope you are all enjoying your day, and maybe even thinking of Mother Earth.  I often try to think of what I can do to reduce my impact on this planet.

I'm far from perfect in this respect, among others.  I still buy laundry soap that I like because of the smell. (I know, I know.) I still haven't had time to make my own dishwashing soap. (It's on my to-do list, to be accomplished right after I finish up my class and find free time, HA!) Sometimes, I don't even bother trying to clean out peanut butter jars for recycling, because I think it wastes more resources than it saves.  (Eek!)

So, surely almost everyone has room for improvement, right?  For the last year I've directed my DH to use an organic fertilizer.  Our yard has never looked so green. It also is a natural herbicide, so it will take care of some of those pesky weeds.  (I say some, because the research is conflicted in this respect.)  In honor of Earth Day, I hope you give it a try!  I find it at our local gardening store here in Kansas, but you can also order it online.  It's called corn gluten meal.  And for my reader that is wondering... You know who you are...

No it's not from GMO corn. :)  More info can be found here and here.

Cruel

Then, in a classic case of Kansas weather, Mother Nature takes your hope and smacks you right in the face with it.

MN: Spring! Ha! I vill crush your spring.  I vill kill your stinking hope.

(Really, you all should call me to hear me say this.  My accent as Mother Nature is pretty awesome.  Or special.)

 Poor frozen daffodils.  :(  

Oh, my sad, frozen Bradford is sagging under the weight of the ice. You can hear the branches clicking together. :(  

*Sigh.

Waiting for a Sign

Every year I await the last frost to plant my garden.  With the chill of winter still in the air, I eagerly look for signs of spring.  This year the wait has been a little longer than the past two years.  However, I realized the other day that I have my own very reliable sign.

My neighborhood is named for Bradford pear trees.  Right now, the entire community is a welcome sign that spring, real, actual spring, is just around the corner.  The trees seem to bloom when the last of the cold weather is almost gone.  In the picture above, taken about a week ago, the buds are tightly closed.

 They patiently wait for their moment to arrive. Waiting...

For this exact moment. =)  Spring, to me, is another name for hope. It makes me hope for a renewed strength of soil and also reawakens my appreciation of finding beauty in nature. Happy Spring!

Bulbs

I am a big fan of bulbs.  You plant them in the fall, do nothing all winter long, and come early spring... Ta da!  Color to soothe your soul.  The grape hyacinth I planted next to my daffodils have started to peek up. I apologize in advance, I went a little picture crazy. 

They are so tiny! These bulbs only reach a height of 6-8 inches, but they are so very small and delicate right now. =)

See the very tiny one above?

I adore grape hyacinth. They remind me somewhat of bluebonnets that I grew up with in Texas.  Except they smell divine.

I swear this daffodil is looking down at the hyacinth, just saying hello.

I can hardly wait for the blues and yellows to intermingle.  Plant some bulbs next fall! You won't regret it! =)