weather blues, tiny shoes, southern views

 New fence goes up...snow comes down.

The precipitation and the low temperatures (a new record for so late in our area) were quite an unpleasant surprise.  I had pessimistically given up hope of salvaging anything, but Todd convinced me to try to cover a few rows.  "Army tents" sprung up in our back garden, and it was quite appropriate, because we were going to war against this weather.

No sooner had we finished...

It was brutal!

Despite temperatures dropping to 29 degrees, and thick, wet snow blanketing everything...we had no casualties.  Even the apple tree blossoms, which completely withered in last year's late freeze, rebounded.  What a relief, but what a lot of work!  Not to mention the work of dragging as many outside containers of seedlings into my grow room.  They were grumpy with the low temps, but everything has perked up again.

After the stress of the sudden storm, it was nice to get away for a day.  We had the requisite pie for Todd's birthday...

...and took a short jaunt to Louisville, Kentucky.

The Falls of the Ohio, starting place of the Lewis and Clark Expedition...

Huge rock outcroppings...

...embedding with plenty of fossils!

A trip to the Conrad-Caldwell House, ten thousand square feet of fanciness.

I loved seeing the leavings of former occupants.  Old credit cards...

...custom-made Louis Vuitton doll shoes...

... and dusty, stained monogrammed linens.

I wonder what they would've thought about us traipsing through their halls and studying their things?

After, a nice walk around Old Louisville and peeks at the manicured gardens.   

Lots of friendly faces!

I was glad to get away, but in a bit of a rush to get back.  This is a really busy time of year.  So many seedlings have to get planted, and quickly.  Plus, weeds are coming up in the established beds.  I have to weed them and lay down a suppressive layer of mulch.  It's a lot of work, but I get little hints of the possibilities.  I was admiring the back/side garden and considering its progression.

April 2019:

April 2020:

April 2021:

All will burst into bloom within 6 weeks, but I'm really enjoying the gorgeous shades of green and various textures!  All I did this year was mulch, and it performs beautifully on its own.  If I get the spring work done, then I can relax.

Have a great week!