May 1, 2013 May Day!



Elsie's photo of the balsam root in bloom
by their house.




Shooting Star

















Monday, 4/29.  By the time the laundry was done we had blue sky, so I hung everything outside that wouldn't fit on the line inside.  I used extra clothespins to keep the shirts from flying off in the wind.  I really wanted to spend time outside today, but that wind was just too icy.  Our high for the day barely made it to 40.

On our afternoon walk we saw tent caterpillars already on some of the bushes on the south ridge.  Will have to get them sprayed soon.  Seems awfully early for them.

This certainly is the year for the dwarf waterleaf Up Here.  It is covering the floor of the grove in its purple blooms.  It seems to be everywhere I look, along with the Pacific spring beauties.  But there aren't very many of the shooting stars, so I picked as many as I could find and pressed them.

Larry and Elsie came up for a visit bringing fresh eggs and more bones for the dogs.  Their hens gave them nine eggs yesterday!  We spent their visit talking mainly about Agenda 21 and Behind The Green Mask, the book about it that JB and Elsie are reading.  They both agree that neither of them can read much at a time without taking a break, as it is so upsetting about what the government is up to.

Tuesday, 4/30.  It was partly cloudy and 24 early this morning, and only 25 when we left for Down There at 8:00.  JB had a doctor's appointment and we had several errands to run.  He will have to go back down on Friday for x-rays and a couple tests.  Could be sciatica and/or a few other things.

Big, fluffy clouds drifted over during the day, some of them bringing showers to the north and south of town.  But it was dry everywhere we were, just April trying to leave its legacy.  It was a beautiful drive up and down the canyon with all the balsam root in bloom.  The lupine is beginning to show its purple blossoms, and I saw a few sweet peas intermingled with the others.  We were home by 1:00 pm and there were a actually a few snowflakes blowing around.  They soon disappeared and after we got up from a nap at 3:30, it was all blue sky.  But once again the daily temperature struggled to reach 40.

I haven't seen any more activity around the birdhouse, so perhaps the wrens are not using it this year.

Wednesday, 5/1.  Clear and 24 again this morning.  The forecast is for warmer temperatures by the end of the week.  Although the balsam root is in full bloom down the canyon, it is just beginning to recover from the cold snap Up Here.

Today is May Day!  As a child my Mother and I would spend the evening of April 30 making two paper baskets.  First thing in the morning of May 1, I would rush out to pick whatever flowers I could find in our yard to fill them, often lilacs, sweet peas and dandylions.  Then as stealthly as I could, I would place one on the front door step of each of two neighbor's homes and run away as fast as my legs could carry me.  Wouldn't want to get caught!

Thought for the day:  There are two things that one must get used to or one will find life unendurable: the damages of time and the injustices of man.  Nicolas Chamfort