In Forgotten Corners

Today was a beautiful day outside. The birds are a spectacle of song and dance as they try desperately to attract a mate in this early spring. The breeze rolled along the bare limbs of trees and their adolescents leaves, slowly unfolding, shy and quiet. The grass is quickly turning a dark green replacing the brown spoils of winter snow and dark skies.

I was a bit under the weather and stayed home from work today. Sitting on the stones by the main garden bed I watched our new puppy, Kermit, and our terrier, Belle, enjoy the new freedom of a thin wire rabbit fence. My children ran through the yard barefoot for the first time in months and their smiles and laughter were contagious, even our youngest who has a belly ache like her Papa.

My wife began working on her flower and herb gardens in earnest while we all enjoyed a rich diet of Vitamin D. Through her hard work she discovered what we believe are two blackberry plants that were hidden in the briars along the boundary of our yard. There is still a small section of yard we have yet to domesticate. I have my fingers crossed that they are, only time and a little research will tell, but they are certainly a plant we were seriously considering planting this year anyway for their health properties.

We recently discovered another hidden treasure in a forgotten corner. Some of you may remember our recent attempt at starting broccoli and eggplant seeds. You may also remember that not a single eggplant seed came through for us and that we had counted it as an early failure. Well the container that had housed the seeds had been put to the side, in the downstairs bathroom of all places, but never really put away so to speak and yesterday morning I discovered five eggplants ready to be transplanted! So things are beginning to look up!