First Robins of Spring

I know it's still officially winter, but for the last three days, just around noon, my yard is bustling full of robins. I've never seen so many all together. They better not be pulling out all the worms from my soil!
After a colder than usual winter (so much for global warming), I'm looking forward to watching things start to bloom. The bluebonnets and Easter lilies are starting to grow (along with the weeds), last years deadwooding is almost complete, roses and trees starting to bud. Oops! I still have 4 bags of spring bulbs to plant:( I hope there's still time to plant them for a spring show.

I'm a fool for any kind of bloom! I got my love of flowers and growing things from my mom and dad. They grew up in a large city but moved to a 1/4 acre lot in the suburbs right after I was born.



Mom had tulips, daffodils, lily of the valley, lilacs, pussy willows, and roses. Dad had his vegetable garden in the southeast corner of the yard...which we had to weed...and the strawberry patch in the Northeast corner. Between the two gardens was a small pool, our life size dollhouse that Dad made, and the gate that led out to the creek where he kept his compost pile and asparagas patch. Through the middle of the yard we had two apple trees (Jonathan and Golden Delicious) and a crabapple. Mom would make applesauce with our apples every fall to eat with potato pancakes. For me, autumn officially arrives when it is cold enough to enjoy the greasy potato pancakes and applesauce.



Even today, I still have dreams of harvesting fruits and vegetables from that garden. It usually involves clearing a forest of weeds to find that the vegetables have grown to an enormous size over the last 30 or 40 years. Well, Dad is long since passed on, and Mom and my next Dad moved to a much warmer climate where they continue to have a showcase yard. They have instilled a fascination with growing things, and still inspire me today.



While my yard is far from showcase material, I enjoy everything I can watch grow and bloom, and all the critters that go with the territory. I've been blessed with many gardening friends, and a few complete strangers, who have shared plants, cuttings and seeds. Gardeners are the sharingist people I know. For the past 15 years, I have been planting a cottage garden in my back yard on a $0 budget. Beyond the cottage garden is where I (with the help of my hubby) am in the process of putting in raised vegetable beds and have plans for a mini orchard. Eventually, I would like to get rid of all the grass all the way around the house so that my wonderful husband won't have to spend hours and hours each week cutting and trimming. If I plan correctly (and plant enough stuff) we would only have to do major work about 4 times a year or less:)



So, welcome along on the journey to my little Garden of Eden. I hope you enjoy the ride!