Last Friday of this Month

This has been a long "pause" and it is not over yet.  What has not paused (despite what it feels like sometimes) is the evolving of spring.  Today I got a wonderful delivery - pussy willows!  Thank you Kathy.   I love pussy willows they are a harbinger of spring,  the last gasps of winter.  

Here is what the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has to say about Pussy Willows:  At the tail end of winter, fuzzy nubs start to appear along the branches of pussy willows. These soft silver tufts—as well as the plant itself—are named for their resemblance to tiny cats’ paws, and they feel so much like fur that young children often wonder if they are animals instead of plants. What are those little nubs? Are they seeds? Fruits? And why are they fuzzy?

They're actually flowers just before they fully bloom. The soft coating of hairs acts as insulation to protect these early bloomers from cold temperatures. The species most commonly called pussy willow in the Northeast, Salix discolor, is a small, shrubby species of willow that can be found dotting wetlands and moist woods throughout much of North America. Most other willows make similar flowers, and since they’re among the very first to bloom, they’re especially delightful—they signal the last throes of winter and the brink of spring.

I now have  pussy willows, an aloe vera plant,  two spider plants and my Cala Lilly.  This is amazing because for years I have not had one house plant.  I was convinced that I could not keep a plant alive.  I just didn't do it.  Then last summer my new friend David felt that I could not be in my new house without home plants.   The first delivery was a spider plant.

 I allowed him to bring it in the house with the expressed commitment that he was responsible for watering it and keeping it alive.  He agreed.   Then another spider plant came and that one was left out on my beautiful screen porch - the same commitment was in full effect.  Then came the aloe vera plant.  This happened over a number of weeks, and I began to take interest in my plants.  They felt like mine.  I actually began to water them.  They were growing.  David made a big deal about how much they were growing and how well they were doing in my house.  

It is spring and my house plants are still alive, they are thriving.  I had a calendar and specific instructions for Matt who was watching my house while I was gone earlier this year.  The aborted Spring Away trip.   I got home and the plants were still alive!  Another milestone.  

A couple of weeks ago, I requested a cala lilly plant from Ellis's Grocery when they were doing my shopping.  It is still alive.  There were a couple of blooms and now there are many.   Today the pussy willows arrived.  

I have life in my house.  I have plants in my house.  I have let go of the I can't grow anything mantra.  I am looking forward to next week when I can go to the greenhouse.  I will bring them my big pots and my flower box liners so that they can plant my "kitchen garden".   I ordered seeds early in the year and had them sent to Kim at Richardson's Greenhouse.  She has planted the seeds.  I have not seen what is growing, but I will be able to do that soon.  

Much of the last snow is gone.  There are still some formidable piles on the north side of the house.  Last year I guessed mid- May,  I think maybe by the end of the first week in May the piles might be gone, maybe not.  But I can imagine my yard without snow.

I am imagining the buds starting to form and leaves beginning to come forth.   But we are still in pause, not quite there, but the time will come.  

It is Friday.  The sun is shining brightly.  Tomorrow is supposed to be more sun, and the temperatures in the mid-high 50's.  Now that is a spring day.   I am meeting up with a friend in the afternoon and we are going on a spring hunt.  Maybe we will find some more pussy willows.  Maybe some other surprises.  

For today I will just be content with not being the plant killer.