Signs of Spring

Maybe it's the let-down after weeks of upheaval. The yard I was familiar with is gone. Very few signs of it remain. That means that iris won't be blooming, daffodils and narcissus are gone, and I can't find hide nor hair of a Johnny Jump-up anywhere. We've got a lot of walk-on bark and some teeny tiny plants that they promise will grow. Eventually.

Yesterday I wandered around back, and was excited to find a few signs of spring.

The first was this iris, which was a bit mis-treated when the work was being done.

Do you see the bud in the left foreground? It's about 6" tall, and has no leaves. It's doing its best to bloom anyway.

Right next to it is this bud. At least it looks like a bud. It's pushing up from the rhizome, since all of its leaves have been sheared off.

This is the healthiest (most normal) bud of the trio. I expect these three to be the same color, since they are all growing together. The question is, what color are they? I have no idea...

Remember the poor iris that began blooming in the garage? I stuck it in the ground, expecting nothing. Its desire to bloom is strong, and I think it's going to succeed.

None of my iris plants look beautiful this year, but I'll take what I can get. I'm feeling desperate.

My little orchids are going gangbusters. Most of them had their tops sheared off - I have no idea how that happened, but it looks like the weed-whacker got them. Despite the damaged leaves, many are beginning to send up spears that will soon burst into red-violet blooms.

Ho, ho, ho, what have we here? Is this Bird of Paradise REALLY thinking about blooming? I've only had one bloom ever, and I've had 4 B of P plants for at least 5 or 6 years...Do they like upheaval?

Finally, pictures of the back would not be complete without some pictures of the cats. NotMyCat is on the diving board, Charlie is in the foreground, on the lawn. I think NotMyCat has a 10' rule. Any closer than that, and he growls. Charlie's a lover, not a fighter, although he's been known to tussle if there's food involved.

My daughter says I need to change a letter in NotMyCat's name. She says he's NowMyCat. She has a point. The last time I took him to the vet for his boosters, she found a pellet in the skin under his jaw. I found another one in his chest. Someone shot this poor cat before he found us. No wonder he thinks we're sanctuary!

Finally, here are Charlie and Edgar. It's not often that they sprawl this far apart. Usually paws are touching or one is grooming the other, or they're squashed in a space only big enough for half a cat. I think they're watching bugs right now. They are easily amused.

That about wraps it up. There ARE signs of Spring around here, if you just look hard enough. When it really gets here, things will start to grow, right? Right!