Wonders of Spring

Warm sunny days, mixed with sudden downpours, have returned the curl to my hair. With that exception, the humidity is definitely not my best friend but the gardens are loving it—lettuce up, spinach peeking through, zucchini sprouting and rhubarb ready for picking. I am eating tons of asparagus, cooked and raw, and giving away as much as I’m eating. It’s amazing how many spears one plant produces. Having successfully thwarted the garden gobbling, free range chickens, I am looking forward to a steady supply of fresh veggies all summer. They, the chickens, however, have turned their attention to my hostas that are now in shreds.

The roadside is alive with blooms and the wild and tame apple trees are glorious in full blossom. The air is sweet with their scent and the lilacs are making ready to overpower them. I don’t have miles of desert trails to hike but do manage to power-walk every morning trying to maintain the muscle and increased breathing gained over the winter. Every day brings new surprises as I see new wild flowers, false Solomon Seal, yellow orchids and a few I have to get out the books to identify. A very social cardinal usually greets me half-way along and calls to me while it keeps me company always careful to hide deep in the foliage of the trees. I do catch glimpses of him as he flits from tree to tree. We carry on quite the conversations.

My birdfeeder is busy with wrens, sparrows, chickadees, junkos, blue jays and the odd woodpecker. Our kitten—the great hunter—slyly creeps across the floor, leaps on the couch with her tail twitching and attacks the window, always optimistic that she will have bird for dessert. Since she is not allowed outside, I doubt it!

As I ease into a daily routine again, I find I need more to occupy my time and mind. I am, however, reading voraciously and enjoying watching the ducks on the pond as I lounge on the settee in my garden room. Life is good.

A Lot Happens in a Week

The roads behind me, I arrived back in Ottawa after a grueling trip to warm greetings, bare trees and frosted windshields in the mornings—but the sun was shining and the temperatures very acceptable. Sometimes, you just know when a friend is special—I called one of my dearest my first day home and told her I was putting away the cleaning tools for the day and having a glass of wine—would she join me. “Mmm, let’s see.” She said. “I’ll check my list. Oh, right here at the top it says go have a glass of wine with Molly.” Gotta love that kind of friendship!

Within a few days the temperatures soared, the trees burst into leaf and wild flowers waved their pretty heads. Trilliums, dog-toothed violets, white and purple violets, bellwort and dandelions are glowing white and yellow against the deep green foliage. Of course, I interrupted my power walks to take photos.

I had to mow the lawn! All within seven days—nature sure can take charge when she wants.

After spending the week getting the house spitted and polished, I tackled the garden yesterday, one of them anyway—the veggie garden. I am pleased to say that my walking and swimming regimen in Arizona left me in good shape and I am not suffering too much from digging and bending in the dark rich soil (such a contrast to the red sand of the desert). One of my first delights of spring is enjoying the sweet taste of asparagus—I did last night—oh, what a delicious treat. Tomorrow, I will be able to pick rhubarb for my morning fruit salad. Life is good.

Final days in Arizona

Ah, I count the hours until my old Buick and I head north east. The past four months have been above and beyond special. I have hiked, been feted and entertained. Sadly, I have written little but lots of ideas are floating through my small brain. I’m thinking another short-story book. One of the interesting things about desert flowers (you do know that photographing wild flowers is my passion) that each year different ones bloom. It has been an unusually dry year so we expected fewer flowers—not so—there were many of our old friends but many we had never seen before. I was not aware that sage had such an incredible blossom.

My walking buddy, and I may add, my photographer buddy, and I treated ourselves to a slide show of each other’s pictures this morning. Tonight we are going up the mountain to Jerome to First Night—I want to be tired so I sleep and am well rested for the morning ahead. Besides, what better way to end my stay than touring galleries in the jewel of the desert. Ah, such delightful memories.

I shall miss my old friends and the new ones I met this trip. The road trip home will be long but the weather looks promising so if the car behaves itself, it should be a good trip. My fingers are crossed that there is little road construction.

Last night, I pulled into the garage after choir’s dress rehearsal, grabbed a glass of wine and went outside to say goodbye to the stars. The big dipper hung right over the house, each star brilliant and sparkling. Tonight, I’ll lift a glass again and bid farewell to the valley.