My son was able to pop in for our erev meal in between business trips and conferences.  Soon he’ll be off to PA to visit the kids.  I’m always thankful for any time we get to share.

After a quick downpour, it’s sunny, windy, and 80°.  It’s a perfect day for Misu lounging on porches, and new flowers busting out.  If my photos seem redundant, it’s because you can never have too many photogenic critters and flowers.

This seems to be the spring of crazy weather and serious flower surges.  I’m also noticing more hawks, ravens, and other predators in the food chain moving in closer to our house, all part of my evil plan!

This was so amazing.  Misu was tracking something intently, and it turned out to be a young opossum approaching the compost corner of the yard.  Normally a possum looks like an enormous hideous rat, but this one was fluffy and adorable, like a cross between a teddy bear and a fat siamese cat.  It was larger than Misu, who was fascinated, though cautious (you can see her crouching to the left), and they just eyed each other.  I was able to creep up close enough to take these pics.  The possum sniffed around at things and at us, drank from my puddle, checked out the compost, then climbed back up the fence and slowly returned across the field from whence s/he had come.  It was so exciting to see more evidence of wildlife feeling comfortable enough to come take advantage of the amenities and do their part, especially in daylight.

It’s 82°!  In April!  Why am I not surprised?

Today I upsized three dozen or so leggy tomato plants onto the porch.  They were outgrowing my germination shelves.  Four dozen to go; then it’s on to the peppers and eggplants.

I’ve been planting things like crazy, indoors and out.  Lots of wildflower seeds have germinated and await the signal to venture out into the wide world.

This Passover (a week from now) the garden will provide half the seder plate and all the flowers.  Here’s to next year in a just world.  I know, not likely, but it’s the spirit that counts.

It’s 77° heading for 80°!  It’s April in Tennessee.  It’s amazing how newly-sown wildflower seeds just instantly know, even from indoors, that it’s time to get up and get down!  Early spring is like the opening movement of a symphony, setting the anticipation of what’s ahead.  I can’t deny it’s my favorite time of year, all the rebirth and hope in an otherwise stark world.  It keeps me going and working when I feel pointless.

Here are some colorful flowers showing off:

After a night and day of downpours and t-storms, all the irrigation has been done for me, and it’s too wet to garden.  Still, all my plant babies are happy, so I’m happy.  Now all I need is a permanent giant puddle to materialize, and frogs to move in, and I’ll be complete.

Here’s yesterday evening’s glowering sky and today’s flowery result.

It was enjoyable having my son over for much of the weekend.  He worked on our porch, ate with us, slept over, and brought us some fantastic Hexagon beers.  This one was smoky and hot peppery, really unique.  I could get spoiled at this rate, but I know better than to get used to it.  So I just seize the opportunities that come along, and savor them.

It rained overnight and this morning, and what with the very mild temps, more flowers and plants were busting out.  Misu, and later “Joey”, followed me around the garden, supervising.

Yesterday was spent pleasantly with my son over–here he is “working” online out in the grass.  Yes, I was spying!  It looked so comfortable.

This cat is a trip–she’s so lazy, er, relaxed, she drinks water lying down!  Mustn’t exert oneself.  Then she helpfully plopped down in the veg garden right where I was planting cauliflower and onion seedlings!  Supervising.

Here are the first azaleas and tulip blooming, hostas unfurling, and violets.

Happily, my son is back here working and spending erev with us.  I’m sure we’re pretty anticlimactic after an eventful week-plus in St. L., but he’s always the highlight of my week.

Here are some flowers responding to spring rain and sunlight:

Can you find Camo-Cat in these photos?  She was everywhere I went yesterday.

I’ve moved more seedlings out to harden off on the porch, making room for the next batch of cold-stratified seeds from the fridge, which I sowed indoors.

The dogwoods are in bloom, as are some wildflowers, just in time for erev.  We’ll finally get to catch up on my son’s latest adventures in St. Louis.

Today I planted some of my hardened-off veggies, making room for more to take their places on the porch, which in turn  gave me more room inside to germinate my stratified wildflower seeds as they emerge from the fridge.  It’s complicated!

Misu just lounged around on the porch, and then in my clean new topsoil in the sun.  She was making sure it was comfortable enough for veg seeds.

I put up stakes for my snow peas coming up.  E worked on repairs to the exterior of the shed, in preparation for reshingling its roof.  Here is some moss transplanted from the old roof to the shade garden.

The redbud is in full bloom.  I think we’re in spring mode for real now, with forecasts in the 70s and even 80° for this week.