Guy's Salad Bar

 and the tulip I crushed below weeding. I'd never had so many weeds in my community garden plot before or started the season so late. I usually mulch with straw over the winter. But I also have never seen so manylady bugs in my garden in early spring before while weeding, so maybe it's a fair tradeoff after all. Maybe it means my garden was meant to be just a litte bit more on the fallow side this year and that's ok.

(Guy's salad bar though I believe could rival Trader Joe's. I kid you not ever.  My neighbors rock the garden. Now is that a pretty cold frame you could line up with a plate at or what? It's April.)

What to Focus on this Year?

I wouldn't say that every year since I started gardening that I have had just one true focus for the year. Probably exactly the opposite has been true. The moments outside always feels like a mad dash to try and take everything in all at once. To follow a favorite throughout the seasons, learn the name of the blooming thing in front of me in the moment by name, whether common or botanic or spot a new a pollinator in the garden, whether bee, wasp or other. What is true I think is that the focus has always been on something outside of myself, something tangible, real and alive that I hadn't spent enough time getting to know or pay attention to closely before beginning to garden.

I miss this.

Spring Afternoon at the Casey's with Anne

A decidely rosey affair. The hellebores reportedly began their show in the snow with some in full bloom, others post and still others about to bloom. On the way I passed blooming daffodils but in the Casey's yard the bulbs planted late fall with Anne last year still have some time left to grow. The good fun to be had though was pushing past the mulch to see what appears to be the variegated Solomon's Seal just emerging up out of the ground.