April Front Porch

April’s chilly start didn’t have me fooled, though it was so cloudy and cold at the start that I set out my April porch decorations but could not find a sunny day to snap some pictures.  Finally, we’ve got some sunlight and warmth.  Yesterday and today, I’ve even had time to sit in my rocking chair and read.  It’s been lovely and even if the forecast promises an abrupt return to a chilly April, I am holding on to the hope of warmth and the firm belief that April showers will bring May flowers.  There is a posey wreath on the door to provide incentive.

As we wait for abundant, lush green, the table welcomes me with greenery, my silly tin lamb, birds, and a bunny, as an April porch should do.

The bunny flag remains because I love that bunny flag.

The forecast for the next few days is that the chill will return.  But the porch will remain optimistic that warm days are coming.

That’s happy!

Daffodils

The start of the week was damp and cold.  I bought a bouquet of $2 daffodils to cheer things up.

Today and tomorrow, temps are expected to be in the 70s.  The daffodils and I are celebrating!

Running Toward Adulthood

From the moment we visited Springfield College in western Massachusetts, JT was intrigued.  The academic programs, many of which center on the world of sports, intrigued him.  The campus is charming and the size (just over 2,000 undergrads) appealed to him.  But the biggest allure was the cross country coach, who recruited him to run for the school’s team.  Like JT, she is a graduate of Rutger Prep. Like him, she did all of her schooling there, from kindergarten straight through 12th grade.  Running there feels like a continuation of running for his current coach.  That is downright thrilling for JT.

In November, he told me the school was his first choice.  In February, when the coach called to tell him that he’d been admitted, he was over-the-moon thrilled.  So am I; it’s a great choice for him.  We visited the school this past weekend, giving him a chance to learn more about academic programs and to meet with the coach. She introduced him to other runners, all of whom were welcoming and friendly.  He feels like it’s the right place for him.  I agree.

As we walked from one open house event to another, he casually announced the date in August when he will report to school.  I promptly began to hyperventilate and spurt tears, like an odd fountain of emotions.  JT was as surprised as I was, though he’s accustomed to seeing me cry.  

I’m finding that being a parent of high school Senior has lots of unexpected moments like this.  I’m shedding a virtual ocean of tears as I contemplate sending my boy off to college. At the same time,  I’m also excited about what the next stages will bring, for him and for me.  But there is uncertainty in this future and I am no fan of uncertainty.  Rather than worry about what comes next,  I’m determined to enjoy today and live in the moment, without freaking out about what is yet to come.  After all, babies grow into toddlers and toddlers into kids and tweens into teens and…..this is life.  He’s healthy and happy, he actually eats vegetables with zest, and he runs 40 miles a week like it’s no big deal.  I am lucky and blessed.  I know and appreciate it.

As for JT, well, he’s over-the-moon excited about what comes next; he’s ready for it.  And that’s happy!

Dogwood Day: April 10

Since January, I’ve been posting Tuesday pictures of my amaryllis bulb as I not-so-patiently waited for the flower to appear.  My waiting was well-rewarded and it ushered in the month of April, which always delivers the goods for people like me, who long for flowers.  I am by nature an impatient person, a woman who has been known to read the end of a book so as to know how it all turns out.  Gardening has taught me the virtue and value of patience even as it has reminded me to take note of and appreciate even the smallest of changes.  With the arrival of April, my dogwood is ready for the season.

Or at least that's how things look up close.  Even today's gloom can't disguise the round buds that will become flowers in the next few weeks.

From further away, the tree seems to be stuck in Winter.  Gloomy, cloudy skies like today's don't hasten things as I would like.

But time is on our side and Winter's cold won't last forever.

The Slow Spring Thaw

In agonizingly slow days, Winter’s cold is loosening its grip.  My neighbor’s south-facing front yard has a line of brave daffodils and tulips, while my own blooms are taking their time.  Spring seems to be in sight, though its warmth is so-far elusive.  I long for warmth and sunlight and find myself looking at pictures from last April to remind myself that blooms may not be here until mid-month.  And then I find myself in front of a calendar, silently counting the days, knowing that blooms will arrive on their own time.

Winter rolls in a slowly as well.  I’ve spent many a November day ready to wear a thick cardigan sweater only to find that it’s still too warm for that choice.  But warm days in the late Fall feel like stolen pleasures as the world sinks into Winter’s starkness.  After the first bunch of Fall color has fallen from the trees, crunchy dry leaves remain on many trees, waiting for cold winds of Winter to shake them loose.  As we wait for the first snow, I contemplate the cozy and homey days to come.

By April, the leaves are long-past gone and empty tree branches seem stark and miserly in the cold.  I know that there are tight buds waiting the burst open; I know they won’t be rushed.  And yet I’m weary of the chill and want to hurry them into being.  I swap out my Winter wools and corduroys for Spring linen and cotton well before the temperatures warrant such things.  I joke that my pride and willpower will keep me warm.  

To ease my impatience, I buy $6 worth of tulips from the grocery store.  I cheer on the chirping birds as I drink warm coffee in the cold kitchen and watch the sun rise in the eastern dawn.  Last weekend, I put out my spinning bunny sculpture.  Eventually, this corner along the fence will be the land of my fairy garden.  For now, the bunny spins around and around, looking in vane for Spring.  I remind myself that Mother Nature has her own stately time table.  

But it’s clear that I don’t quite believe it.

Nest Repairs

In one of the Miss Read Fairacre books, Miss Read discovers that some local sparrows have made a nest on the roof over her front door.  At first she is charmed and then Mr. Willet, the local handyman, points out that the birds may use her front step as their toilet.  He volunteers to remove the nest to aid in relocation but Miss Read refuses, worried that the birds won’t find their nest.  Mr. Willet shakes his head at her kind heart and Miss Read ruefully begins to use the back door, so as not to bother the birds.

I thought of this story when I noticed a pair of birds making their nest in my roofline, having snuck under the eve where a piece of the trim siding had come off during a wild storm.   In the immediate aftermath of that storm, I had made a few calls for someone to replace the broken piece.   Homes in my corner of New Jersey had far more damage than that and I could never get a firm hold on a repair and so the problem lingered for far longer than it should have.  

Then a pair of birds tucked under the trim and built their nest along my roofline.  I’m not as kind as Miss Read and feared birds in the roof may be followed by squirrels in the attic so I doubled down on my efforts to get the trim repaired.  That happened over Spring Break.  For a few days, the birds perched on the roofline, unable to get inside.  In my guilt, I averted my eyes.  They’ve since found a new location for their nest and I have the satisfaction of a tidy new piece of trim.

That’s happy!

Amaryllis Tuesday: April 3

Late last week we reached peak amaryllis, with no less than six flowers on the hardy amaryllis stem.

It was splendid and lovely and remains that way this week. It feels like the showy advance guard for April, a month that often begins stark and chilly but always manages to deliver blooms and lush green grass.  On that note, I’ve begun to document the progress of my backyard dogwood tree which is on its way to making its own splendid flowers for this Spring.  Up close, the potential can be seen in the small, tight buds on the branches.

From further away, the buds aren’t so obvious.  

And in yesterday's snow, it looks even less promising.

But I know that those buds will grow larger and that one morning soon I will wake up to dogwood flowers.  I like that element of Spring, a season that begins quietly and requires careful attention to be seen and in full steam becomes as showy as can be.  For the next few months, Tuesdays will be dogwood days and I will post a picture each week, as I watch the tree and enjoy the arrival of Spring.

Live Like it's Spring

After a lovely two week break, students return to school today.  I love my job but the break from energetic middle schoolers was nice.  I’m back in school renewed; I'll be glad to see the students today.  Before I tucked into bed last night, I set out a linen skirt and pink cardigan to wear and, in a triumph of hope over good judgement, I will wear them despite the fact that snow is falling at a rate of more than an inch per hour.  

Snow in April is a poor man’s fertilizer and I put out some grass seed and fertilizer yesterday, so at least I’m taking advantage of this chilly turn of events.

But I long for Spring to stick around for more than a day or two and so there are pink tulips on my table.

There is warm coffee in my mug.

Did I mention the pink tulips?

Spring, I see you.

Easter Celebrations

In addition to some chirping birds and watery morning sunlight, the Easter Bunny brought us some Easter baskets.  This one was a gift to me from my craft friend TO, who made these beautiful eggs and tucked them in a basket.  It was a lovely addition to our table!

I filled this basket for A, who cheerfully puts up with our family and should have a chocolate reward for her troubles.

T got some sweet treats because she is sweet to me.

JT had a basket full of candy and some new pajamas because in our house the Easter Bunny brings pajamas.  

There was a family supper with ham and all the fixings.

In this house, Easter is a celebration of Spring.  That’s happy!

April 1: Garden Hostas

It’s a bit early (and, sadly, cold) for hosta plants to emerge from the soil.  But nearly all of my hosta beds also have daffodil and tulip bulbs and they have pushed out of the chilly soil.  In a patch or two, crocuses have bloomed.  They are the advance guard of Spring blossoms, so the start of April has a promising feel.

For now, there are few signs of the hostas but that will change later this month, when green shoots will begin to make a tentative appearance.

I see April as the reward for March’s chill, and though yesterday was sunny and more sunshine is forecast for this afternoon, the current early April forecast is for the chill to continue.  It usually takes more days then I would like, but by the middle of the month, there will be signs of blooms and warmth everywhere.  For now, I’ll be patient with the slow-going Spring, confident that blooms are just around the corner.