The Poor House May 2020

Brad and Mindy May have doomed me to a life of penury. On Saturday after I had spent most of the morning at Baker's Acres, those rascals came to see me. Now, their coming to see me was not rascally, we had a lovely visit and Homesteader has decided she likes them, But after the visit they said they had found a great place to buy flowers--a place with the poetic name Groovy Plants Ranch. Hard to beat that name, eh? Well, I was sure they wouldn't have a thing I wanted since I had just been to the Baker's. Being a kind old man and enjoying my time with them, I decided to go along so I could shake my head in despair that such a place could rival my favorite haunt. But behold! the place is marvelous and worst of all, they have a completely--well, almost--different set of flowers. And to make matters even more despicable, they are like ten minutes from my house! I didn't even know they were there. I am doomed--two lovely nurseries with different sets of plants. Poor house here I come.

So now I sit waiting for May 15th with a billion flowers to plant once the frost fear is gone (did you know it's going to frost at least twice this week!) There were a couple of rich moments at The Acres today, though. A Baltimore Oriole on the hummingbird feeder. Now, that's a gorgeous bird! A couple of rose-breasted grosbeak were hanging around today as well. And I"m fairly certain I head the catbird. I love those shadows. And even better--the iris started to bloom today--five dwarf beauties. And--wait, wait,--the goldfish came back up--the little ones anyway. With the emergence of the water lilies they have a place to hide, and their courage has been bolstered.

All this to say, if you need a beauty walk--The Acres is the place to be despite the weeds. And if I'm not here, just check the poor house--the chubby old bald guy will have been bankrupted by flowers--I wonder how many years you get for loving beautiful things?

Snowflakes in May 2020

Hmmmm? snowflakes at The Acres in May. Interesting. I only hope the cold tonight and tomorrow and Monday do not do too much damage. And, of course, the iris are what I worry about the most. I already have a dozen dwarf iris blooming, some more budding, and even some of the German iris are starting to bud. Not much you can do about it, I suppose. Most of the astilbe are up as well. I have no idea how they respond to cold? Tomorrow, I will know.

April Showers 2020

Well, the April showers have slipped into May. I did at least get half of The Acres mowed last week. I did the back half--Wild Area and paths first, of course. Love those walks through the meadow and wild area. My neighbor probably wishes I had done the front where everybody driving by can see. Ah well. The iris have not yet begun to bloom. I did at least see a couple buds on the dwarf iris. They will bloom first, and then away we will go--hopefully--with a barrage of iris blooms. My favorite time of the year.
Right now, some daffodils are hanging around--a few are just starting to bloom. The tulips are blooming. The bleeding hearts should be right behind. And though the red buds and dogwoods in town that I drive by are all arrayed in purple and white, mine are just starting to think about dressing up. I even have a few crab apples--red ones and white ones biding their time though several have bloomed already.
Tomorrow morning it's off to Baker's Acres to buy the annuals for this year though I'll have to wait until the 15th to plant most of them--that's the cutoff day for frost in Ohio. Only once in my years in Morrow County have we had a bad frost after that date. The annuals, of course, are a necessary part of the beautifying of The Acres--they reach their fullest beauty as the perennials start to wind down later in the year--well, except for the phlox.
Whenever the Lord decides to take me home, I always pray He'll wait until June when the iris have finished their show, and the annuals have been planted. It's a good time of year at The Acres. Need to get the throne out at the top of the hill, books ready. I'm prejudiced, naturally, but it may be one of the most peaceful places on earth--at least, for this old man.

The Pond

The Pond--of course, it's THE pond--is one of my favorite places at Iten's Acres. In spring it puts on a hem of daffodils--many of them immigrants from Mom and Pop's in South Carolina. They are not intimidated at all by the cold weather in Ohio. Every year they expand into larger and larger bouquets. And, of course, in spring the goldfish make their annual appearance until the herons and kingfishers show up. They will be back in late fall--and even seem to enjoy the early thin ice that late fall and early winter bring. By this time the water lilies are beginning to rise out of the dark waters--by mid-summer they will decorate the pond in huge blankets of yellow, red, and white. The music in spring comes from the peepers--an all soprano choir in perfect synchronization. In summer the bull frogs take over--basses every one--and soloists every one. By early summer the pond becomes a 'grotto" of leaves, reeds, overhanging branches, lily pads, and fussy red-winged blackbirds. The heron have a nest somewhere near by raising another gorgeous family. They only complain if I surprise them. The Sentinel--what's left of it--still stands guard. The weeping willow is the queen. The white crab apples add a tinge of color in late April and early May. Winter, of course, brings a layer of white, beautiful in its own way. Yes, though the pond may be more of a mud-hole than a pond, she knows how to dress up impressively. I used to have a bench there next to Narnia's light post. I will have to replace it this summer. It is a restful place to spend an afternoon, almost invisible, noticed only by the dragonflies in a rainbow of colors. Yes, I must get myself a small bench to place in the shadows and disappear on a hot summer's day. How can you not love a pond?

Expectations

The theme of late March at The Acres is "Expectations." Not my favorite theme--makes patience a labor of love. Once the orchard iris, aconite, snowdrops, Lenten roses, and crocus show up, there's a break in the "action." (Some crocus will keep popping up for awhile. They are the masters of surprise. One morning walk--nothing. Afternoon walk, crocus parties. No social distancing among those gorgeous rascals.) The tulips come up, but they are just a tease. Their early rising is just a reminder that it's time to feed the iris. The daffodils come up, bud, and then say, "I'll just wait a little while, thank you. You want flowers, send some sunshine." Now, how am I supposed to control that? Hyacinth always poke their heads out as well, even look as if they are ready to bloom, but they just linger at ground level for awhile. The iris, of course, have me thinking in late February and early March that I'll be lucky to have a bloom or two of my favorites--but it's not looking good. And then, a burst of growth. Up they come, and the old man's expectations soar. They must be keeping an eye on the tulips. See if they're up yet. But------I still have to wait until May for any blooms; maybe a dwarf iris or two will beat the rush in late April. Maybe. Six weeks of expectations! Expectations, expectations, expectations!? What's an old impatient man to do? Pray for a little sunshine. Feed the iris. And, oh yeah, wait.

And I wonder when the goldfish will bloom this spring?

Day Two Spring Break 2020

Day Two: I keep trying to explain to the cat about the need for social distancing. She won't have it. Ah well, the Boss is the Boss. I am enjoying my days outside and my daily walks--though it's still a little soggy. Lots of things are up--not many are blooming yet. Spent most of the day cleaning out beds and feeding the iris. Still have more of that to do (I have a lot of iris) --I think I will run into school for a few moments early tomorrow; I want to try posting another video or two. One will be a short introduction to Amos; the other a 10 minute or so "lecture" on Thoreau's concept of civil disobedience and the humanism it's rife with. Help them to better understand King Jr. and his view of the concept. It's the 10 minute one I"m worried about.
Social distancing won' be an issue. I'll just be in my car alone, and then in the school alone. I may hear from it when I get back home. Then, I"ll just escape outside to work again.
"More secure is no one ever than the loved ones of the Savior."
Yep, that's me. Loved by the God who is love for no other reason than that He chose to love me. Grace, grace, marvelous grace. Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt." That's a lot of grace.
"For me, to live is Christ. And to die is gain."

Day One Spring Break 2020

First day of spring break--unless you think it starts Monday. Nothing out of the ordinary. Read some. Wrote some. Worked outside some--it was chilly. Had to do short bursts. Sat in the chair by the doorwindow with the Boss and watched the birds feed all day long. First day I've been home all week. Been at school trying to increase my expertise with online teaching. Thanks to the Burn's-Kraynak-Roads triad I'm actually making a little progress. There may be hope for my students. =) If it ever warms up a little bit without a deluge, I may also get some work done on The Acres. Social distancing as most of you know is not a problem for me. Being a hermit comes naturally. Now, I'm just waiting for the daffodils to start blooming. Maybe if the sun comes out? Oh, no goldfish yet. Love you all. Stay safe--or in other words--pray. And not just for yourself!!! Be good!