The Busy Month of May

It is warm here today. We have reached 81 with more heat predicted for Friday and Saturday before a cooling trend begins on Mother's Day. We might even get some rain by the middle of next week.

Tom has worked to get all of the watering systems operating: lawn and shrub sprinklers, vegetable garden micro sprayers, drippers for pots, and we have them all turned on, since it has been so dry and now hot.  

We have finished our plant shopping and have most everything planted.  On Wednesday morning we went to Vassey's Nursery and then Watson's to shop for plants we still needed and just enjoy the ambiance of beauty these nurseries provide. 

Vassey's Nursery

A beautiful big Dove tree and a just opening wisteria in the nursery display garden.

Watson's Greenhouse.

After we got back home on Wednesday we spent several hours working in the yard before cleaning up to go to Irene's first middle school cross country meet. 

While she was not in the lead pack of five girls, she was well ahead of the rest of the field, coming in at number six. She had a good, strong finish. 

Today is Thursday, right? I do seem to have trouble keeping the days straight lately. I haven't been doing much exercise walking, getting plenty of exercise working in the yard instead. I do manage to get in my 40 minutes of physical therapy exercises most days. Today I spent much of the morning grocery shopping at Costco and Safeway. I will be hosting Mother's Day dinner for my kids. 

Then I worked on cleaning up the patio, washing furniture and then beginning to empty the shed of all of the yard furniture and yard art stuffed in there for the winter. Outdoor living time has begun. We had lunch on the patio. I actually sat in my outdoor rocking chair and read for a while this afternoon when it got too hot to work. 

It's transition time in the garden. The tulips, pictured here on their last hurrah, are now faded and we have begun removing them from the beds, since they are all planted in gallon nursery pots sunk into the soil. Time to make way for summer color plants. 

 These photos were taken on Sunday, before the heat cooked what was left of the color. 

The wisteria will be coming into bloom down on the garden deck. Rhododendrons, the few we have, are blooming. Everything is green and growing. Seeds are planted in the garden boxes.  May is a busy time. 

The bonsai are on the bench.  

 The May apples have "apples", cool flower buds that hide under the leaves. 

 The Welsh poppies are beginning to pop. 

 Fairy bells are ringing. 

 And the first columbines are blooming. 

Beautiful, busy May.