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Spring on the farm is not usually my favorite time of year. I have insane elm tree pollen allergies, and since my house is surrounded by elm trees … well, you can imagine my springtime trauma.
But this year, even though I’m already sneezing and wheezing, I am excited about spring.
Can you blame me??
For the first time in several years, my old-fashioned lilac bushes didn’t get caught in a late killing freeze, and are bursting with buds.
These lilacs were planted by my grandmother almost 65 years ago. I treasure them, and look forward to their gorgeous blooms and fragrance every spring.
This guy seem pretty excited about spring, as well.
He was checking out the back yard, looking for a sweet place to settle down with his Mrs.. I hope Kevin doesn’t take too much of an interest their house hunt …
He doesn’t look overly excited about anything, though, does he?
It will be a while before the swallows start making their nests and catching mosquitoes. But someone else has been busy.
Granted, I’m not a bird, but that looks fairly cozy. And the view is amazing.
Do you see those little brown buds on the branches? Those, my friends, are the harbingers of my springtime misery. As they open up into elm leaves and release their pollen, my allergies will kick into overdrive.
We have seven – SEVEN – of these trees within 50 feet of our house. It is a situation I would like to remedy with a bulldozer. However, I don’t want to create a housing shortage for my feathered friends. It’s a predicament …
One of the best parts about living where we do, is view from the front of our house.
But we’re pretty lucky to have a beautiful view from the back yard, too. (Even if it does happen to belong to our neighbor.)
I catch glimpses of the water through the trees in the morning and it’s so peaceful. Obviously, the ducks think it’s nice, too.
In addition to the lilac bushes, my grandma planted a variety of bulbs and perennials that are still blooming after all these years.
My all time favorites are her old-fashioned iris, with their delicate, colorful flags and sweet, beautiful fragrance, and her scarlet peonies, with their big eyes and spicy scent.
They don’t bloom until later in the season, but Grandma Thelma always cut them just before they bloomed. She would keep them refrigerated so she could use them to decorate gravesites on Memorial Day.
The day before she made her visit to the cemetery, she pulled them out of the crisper drawers, put them in Mason jars of water that she had decorated with ribbon, and left them to sit out overnight.
The next day, the buds were open and beautiful. She was always quite proud of the fact that she didn’t have to resort to buying flowers from the florist, or (gasp!) putting artificial flowers on the graves.
Even though they aren’t glamorous, these grape hyacinths – which pop up in the early spring every year – are bright and fun. And they smell DIVINE!
I wish they were more conducive to cutting and putting in a vase, but alas, they are too short and squat for that.
So I suppose I will have to be content with catching a whiff of their delicate fragrance on the breeze when I’m outside.
It’s been a pretty long winter – even for me, confirmed chionophile. I found myself daydreaming about warmer weather a few weeks ago, and wishing spring would hurry.
While we’ve had a few throwback to winter days, though, I think spring has finally arrived. And I’m so happy!
Even though I’ll be sneezy and uncomfortable for a few weeks, and will most likely be pining for fall by June …
I think it’s going to be a beautiful spring! I hope you’re having a lovely season wherever you are. This is the best time of year to bloom where you’re planted.
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Love & Blessings,
Sharon
