The rains have brought muddy soggy paths..but there is  a new almost glowing greenness to the lawns..just in time for St Patrick's Day!
   The Golden Valerian is sending up strong shoots of yellow lime-greenwhich rest against a bed of dark brown fall  maple leaves. There are always New Beginnings.

  The earliest daffodils -small little things have their  buds  opening and nodding in the wind.The Hardy Geraniums are thrusting their little leaves forward in a dance with golden sage.
   We've been working on the Windmill flower bed, the woolly apple mint grows so tall that the Mill is almost hidden in the summer. As we weed around the Lemon Balm, we find 'critters' that "the girls", the rhode island red chickens come to sample Witches grass ..a grass that runs underground and spreads all over is one of their favorite food.  Scratching with their feet only inches away from my hands, they really work the soil. You must wear gloves because of the cold, but also because of the bark mulch which can cause silvers and stickers so tiny you almost can't see them.  "The girls" feet are well protected by mother nature and they find baby slugs,and worms which they gobble up.  The fine rooster,Randy, is such a guardian. He is tall Americana with a golden neck and a deep green blackbody and tail(bottle -fly green).  He struts about calling 'the girls' to come to the latest morsel I toss to him.  Although imposing in stature and with LONG spurs is a gentle protector...much like a knight in shinning armour.
   The wind mill bed looks half done.forcast is nice weather for 6 days..it will get finished so the tulips will have a lovely place to sprout.

   The lavender leaves are still tightly closed -a whitish grey. The green new growth hasn't appeared as of yet.

    The Rosemary ,however, is cavorting in the rain. Green and lush with tiny flower buds forming. Their branches sway in the  wind, embracing the rain.
     Molly,our little Cairn terrier, comes by.She has had enough of chasing mice in the tall field grasses. She is so soaked she looks like a wet kitten. Time to warm up!

     Off we go to the house..little paw prints on the floor,remind me of the children's dirty hand prints that used to cover the doors and towels.  We wipe up the paw prints, Molly rushes to the rug in front of the fireplaces we heat the water for FRESH Lemon Balm tea...an early spring treat.

Winter...Janus is the Greek God depicted with two heads..one facing back and one facing forward.

January (named after this god) looks back at the bitter cold of late December with its ice and snow and forward to the warmth sunshine, strawberrys, roses and lavender blooms in June.

Dark gloomy clouds overhead, muddy slippery earth...ah a few daffodils are peeking througth the rust colored soggy leaves and one lone dandelion strugges to open half a bloom

The wind moves the lone needle pine tree, dropping pinecones the size of pop cans..so we quickly move under it's branches toward the chicken coop.

We heard an owl last night and one of the bantam roosters is missing.

Our young friendly neighbor walks by, her long auburn pigtails swinging as as she stops to tell us she saw 56 swans in the lake.The wild geese fly back and forth overhead to different fields to feed. Sometimes they are aso low you can see their eyes!

I found an earthworm floating in a puddle by the rain barrel. Scooped him up and took him to the pens of the call ducks (a bantam dwarf mallard) Skippy (he was hatched with a bum leg) LOVES worms!!   He gobbled him up and shook his bill with gusto. Then he quacked for more, but I had already headed off to feed the doves. They are soo gentle and their cooing is very relaxing.

Turning, I head into the hard rain and scurry toward the house. Even though it is mild, the wind sends a chill.

The climbing rose has buds all ready! Brushed the bay tree branches..such a refreshing fragrance. Go to the house steps and scrape off the muggy mud off my garden clogs and go inside.

The tea has steeped... Time to settle in with a cup of tea by the fire.

Gathering seed catalogs it is pleasant to pour the New offerings (varigated petunias) yet finding old friends like parsley to send for to make the nursery bloom in spring.

Enjoy this time of year... Soon we will all be cursing the heat!

Come to Lavender Daze: April = Spanish, May-June = English, July = French.

Fresh cut lavender, dried lavender and herbs, potpourri, gifts, art, soaps, wreaths, wands, crafts and plants for sale.

We are open Saturdays, 10 am - 6 pm.