Monday, March 28, 2011

Iris, Crocus, Pasque, Brrrrrr

Spring break is over. I actually got everything done on my checklist--which I never thought I would. Some prose chapbooks put together and sent out, a query for a memoir sent out, email requests, rec letter written for student, article on native plants written, jobs applied for, last 5 weeks of classes planned out (if that last book gets reprinted and delivered to students on time). I even got 50% of the garden cut down while it was 60 / 81 / 50 / 40. Now it's in the 30s and 20 degrees below normal.

Here are some flowers that were blooming last week before it got to 23 at night and snowed. I'd show you my latest haircut but I'm still having a Sampson sort of issue with it; you know, loss of inner and outer strength, self doubt, who am I without wavy 80s hair I let go too long....


















White Pasque Flower blooms
weeks before the purple


Sometimes the best blooms are before or after the bloom. This works in life too, like the expectation of a first kiss, good news, a warm cupcake, or the memory of them all that echoes forward into new befores that roll into afters and befores and that are all now now now now.

11 comments:

greggo said...

The wife and I finished up our "cutdown" this week also. Being temporarily disabled, she did all the hard work. Two loads of compost and load of mulch loaded and spread from the city compost facility. I had most of the perennials cutback weeks ago, finished the grasses this week. Being in southern kansas we are getting your temperatures but not the ice and snow. I had to cover a few of the tender plants.

scottweberpdx said...

Ahh...couldn't agree more, the expectation of things to come...or the oft-romanticized things past...always seem better than the here and now, somehow.

Barbee' said...

What 'now'? I'm so entangled in the befores and afters I don't see the nows.

Benjamin Vogt said...

G--I've been keeping up with your progress, or lack thereof. I wish I had a trailer to haul city compost in. I have 5 bins I put in my hatchback, and drive back and forth.
S--Oh all time warps are romanticized. Anything but what you're stuck in seems better. Grass is alwas greener--across the street where that guy fertlizes an waters like nuts.
Barbee--Yes! That's it. That's the heart of the issue.

compost in my shoe said...

Wavy, 80's hair.....I don't ever know what that was like. I do remember the first daffodil at the rest stop in January on the family move from Ohio to South Carolina. Dorothy was never this happy.

Benjamin Vogt said...

Mr. Compost--Ohio v. SC, that's a toss up. I lived in OH for 3 years, met my wife there, but still, SC has antebellum charm, right? (Did you ever watch Head of the Class? That hair)

Christine B. said...

I can't even comment on the bulbs at your place other than to say: no fair!

As for your Sampson issue, watch out for Philistines and women named Delilah.

Christine in Alaska, haircut this Friday, zero blooms

Chandramouli S said...

I love visiting blogs in Spring mainly to ogle at lovely Crocuses, Daffodils, Snowdrops (which I think I can't grow here)...
Yours look gorgeous!

Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings said...

Here in Guthrie, I'm freezing and wishing I could garden. I should never take it for granted. It will warm up again soon. Pretty little flowers though.~~Dee

Benjamin Vogt said...

Dee--When we visited the cranes (see next post down) it was cold, even though it was to be 60. Must've been 40. It was 81 the next day!

Benjamin Vogt said...

Christine--Just the one hair cut?
Chandramouli--Come back in July (or see my July 2010 pics), that's when your head gets blown off.