Blank Slate

Our Wisconsin springs are unpredictable at best. There are still chances for a frost until the end of May, so, I usually plant my vegetable garden around the Memorial Day holiday. The long winter wait is over and I can finally stop dreaming and start doing!
After the soil is tilled and smoothed out, I relish the "blank slate" situation since it is a new beginning every year. By this time, I have forgotten last year's failures (insect pests, cucumber disease, drought, storms and rabbits) and once again can start fresh with new hope that THIS year I will have the perfect garden.
Realistically, I know there will be things beyond my control that will happen....that's what being a gardener is all about. Learning patience and acceptance, knowing that there will be disappointments as well as successes, these are the things that get me energized to do it all over again. So, you must excuse me now, as Errol (my little dog) and I have some planting to do.

Wonderful Magical May

A merry May Day to all! As a child, I would deliver handmade May baskets to special friends and relatives in our neighborhood. There were always spring violets blooming in my backyard on May 1st, so, I would pick a nosegay and carefully place it in each basket. For my best friend Debbie, I would substitute candy for the flowers. Then, the real fun would begin. My younger sister and I would carefully sneak onto each porch, place the basket on the doorknob, ring the doorbell and run! We had to find a place to hide while we watched the intended recipient being surprised....or feigning surprise. Either way, it was great fun and something I looked forward to doing every year. A tradition I think that I will revive.