May 12, 2009
Wow, what a beautiful day it was yesterday! It couldn't have been a more perfect spring day, except if I could have been outside for all of it! Pat and Milt came over after school and I dug up some hostas and a few other things for them. It was fun to show them around the garden. I set out the rest of the tomato plants I have and raked up some clippings to mulch them with. So far I have 4 Rutgers, 1 Big Beef, 2 Better Boys, 3 Juliets, 1 Early Girl, I think. Keeping my fingers crossed...
Our "Heartbreak Hotel" has caught 5 starlings so far. No sparrows, I'm afraid. I think the mechanism just isn't tripping with them. But it's fun to eliminate the starlings!
I want to keep track of the blooming things...as of today:

• pink tulips edging north garden still looking good
• clusiane tulips (?) east side of north garden look very nice
• Mariessi starting to bloom!
• Blackhaw starting to bloom
• one bloom on the Pink Beauty viburnum
• white crab apples by road have been blooming for a week
• Candymint crabs have been blooming several days, hopefully they will take off this year.
• snowball viburnum by playset is in full bud, not quite opened up yet.
• columbines in arbor garden in full bloom. Saw a hummer there Sunday!
• The new grass south of deck looks like it is starting to take off.
• bush honeysuckle in north garden in full bloom.
• only a few grape hyacinths by north maple tree are blooming

Last Friday we got the old silver maple hanging over the new room trimmed. Yeah! We borrowed Dwight Duwa "extend-a-boom." I ran it, with Johnny in the platform with the chain saw. Happily, no accidents! It did put some horrendous ruts in the yard. But I'm so glad to get that trimming done. No more nightmares about a limb crashing through our new roof!