These confounded so-called tornado watches and warnings are really starting to annoy me.  I mean I’m glad they turn out to be false alarms (for us at least), but they’re nerve-racking.  Then of course they have to throw in the wailing sirens for good measure, just to make sure you’re sufficiently panicked.  I swear there’s some nerd somewhere going “Ooh Ooh can I press the red alert button now, can I?!”  The price you pay for living in the less expensive midwest.

In between thunder, lightening, and rain, I did manage to get gardening done.  At one point, our neighbor and I were weeding and talking gardens through the fence, and she let me dig up some yarrow to transplant, which was nice.  We often swap plants. We worked until the last minute before it started looking scary out.  Then it was just a t-storm which dwindled into a nice evening.

A’s backyard is a real bird haven.  As fast as I dig and hoe, the robins come behind me for food.  The backyard robin mom knows me and lets me come right up to her nest where she seems to be sitting on eggs.  (There’s a newly renovated nest on top of the front door light, but I haven’t seen that mom yet.)  A pair of the many mourning doves have taken up residence on top of E’s [future?] chicken coop, where they bask in the sun and let me get pretty close if I’m careful.

Even the fish recognize me now and come out when I call them (and feed them a little).  It only took E about a day or two to discover OtoCat the new catfish; E is very alert.  We had a laugh over that.

The next wave of spring natives are starting to bud out, the wild ginger, spring beauty, mayapple, solomon’s seal, celandine poppy, jacob’s ladder, jewelweed (taking over the whole yard now), and of course the va bluebells, violets, and ferns.  There are many more, yet to be IDed by me.  Every individual plant is an exciting discovery to me, and all of them are doing exceptionally well this year.

This evening’s drinks were my version of a “Hurricane”, to go with Avdi’s delicious Cajun smoked turkey sandwiches.

I know I’m not alone in thinking, who needs April Fools, when every day is like waking up to the biggest fools joke in history, only it’s reality.  Hard act to follow.

Speaking of waking up, I normally sleep through 6AM, but here I am up and writing.  Like, it’s April, fool, time to wake up with the birds and get ready to garden.

We’re supposed to get another one of those big storms tomorrow; maybe it will be another April fools joke.  There’s no telling around here.

Yesterday I introduced OtoCat to E’s aquarium, but didn’t tell him.  I’m waiting to see how long it will take him to notice the new little catfish.

I did lots of gardeny stuff yesterday.  I planted some hardened-off veg and herb plants, and brought some more outside.  I’m excited to see last year’s asparagus coming back.  Also all the ferns are unfurling!

I continued to hoe around the outside of the veg garden.  In a couple of weeks (after frost-free date) I’ll be able to start direct-sowing the rest of the flower and veg seeds, and harden off more seedlings.  And start some more indoors.  A never-ending cycle.

I arrived at A’s on Sat. while he was driving to retrieve Y from their week with their Mom.  Then he immediately turned around and took E to the New Jewish Theatre’s production of Cabaret.  Avdi found it particularly moving and relevant right now.  Too relevant.

Meanwhile there was plenty of work for me to do inside and out.  This supposedly huge storm (high winds, t-storms, large hail, possible tornadoes) was coming through on Sunday, so we were battening down, as well.  I spent the night, but didn’t sleep much.

Yesterday, while waiting for the “storm”, Y and I hung out and did gardeny things, and replaced the old pool cover with the new one (with help from A).  On the radar maps, there were all the colorful blobs and warnings for our area, continually changing times and routes, while in reality, it was like someone just kept turning the sun on and off, with sprinkles.

At one point, it got all dark and ominous, with the wind whipping up, and we thought this is it, head downstairs, only to have it thunder in the distance and–some rain.  A big false alarm.  Unalarming.  Anticlimactic.

Somewhere out there, the radar insisted, was a major storm heading through STL and east.  Then the sun came out.  Not that I’m complaining!  But this weather here is making me crazy.

Still, I had a nice time over there, weathering the storm that wasn’t, enjoying the warm weather.  Then I strolled home, watched the climax of “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”, and went to bed early.  And here I am, not surprisingly wide awake in the middle of the night.

It was hot and windy and building up to the supposed big storm coming through on Sunday (featuring t-words).  I baked challah, did some housekeeping, got some yard work done, and made dinner, an Asian stir-fry with chicken, over Japanese noodles.  It seemed to go over well.  I walked home in this vivid sunset.

Today Avdi is doing the return trip to pick up Y.

In between rain spells I worked outside a little; cultivated some areas, direct-sowed some cilantro, brought more plants out to harden off, and just enjoyed the garden being watered.  I watched a robin mom make finishing touches to her nest in a holly tree.  It was like a bird convention out.

I spaced some of the larger seedlings downstairs.  The cukes are huge!  Later I made us cosmos, and helped Avdi prepare his very good shepherd’s pie.

Things I did yesterday: finished cinder blocking a section of garden; swept out the trashcan area; tried to remove compost from the bottom of the bin (tough because it was all compost bags and roots) to make room at the top for leaves;  Hosed down the compost area, uncovering these old bricks; raked leaves and dumped them onto the open compost pile; continued hoeing the area around the veg garden; watered everything; and more.

I also did a few chores inside, met S at the bus as usual, and threw dinner together.  Of course I always fuss over my green babies downstairs–note the German chamomile daisy flower. I try to earn my keep!

I’ve been working my way through the streaming series “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”.  It’s pretty rough to watch, especially considering how eerily similar our current fascist dictatorship is becoming.  Hence being up writing in the middle of the night!  I usually avoid holocaust reminders, because it’s so unthinkably sadistic, and this series doesn’t spare you much.  I guess sometimes it’s better to face your fears and be prepared, while still hoping saner minds will prevail.

I worked hard yesterday.  I pretty much ignored indoor chores, since kids are home and theoretically doing them.  I did later help A with dinner, a delicious Cajun fish, andouille, rice, and veg dish.

This first job may make some anti-lawn purists fire me, but I prepped and seeded the many bare spots with a fescue mix (no chems), since A’s yard gets a lot of traffic and trampling, not to mention flooding.  To give me some credit, I’ve expanded the growing areas wherever possible to eliminate some lawn.

I continued clearing the areas around the veg garden, raising the level and incorporating hardscape where the flooding tends to permeate.  Obviously a work in progress.

Then I used A’s older compost to mulch the strawberry patch, and I weeded and cultivated the asparagus and horseradish bed.  They are much happier now.

This is one of my favorite periods of spring, with the violets and bluebells taking over, and other ephemerals unexpectedly revealing themselves in areas I had cleared a little.  Also, the peas are up, and most of the greens are appearing.

To toast violet season, I made these beautiful gin tonic drinks with parfait amour, violette, and violet flowers for Avdi and me, which we drank at the patio table, almost like old times.  I gave him a mini-tour of future “mini-MOBOT”.

I continued to bulldoze my way around the garden, clearing and liberating.  Bulldoze is a slight exaggeration, although for some jobs a bulldozer or front loader would really come in handy.  But it’s just me, so I have to take it easy.

I’m discovering all kinds of spring ephemerals under there.  It’s like my mini-MOBOT.  Some hardscaping is happening, too.  Nothing is safe from The Gardenista.

If you were to lie down in front of me to stop me, I’d just design a new brick-lined path around you and keep going.  Maybe plant some flowers on you.  Perhaps the bulldozer metaphor is relevant, after all.

That’s MO for you.  It can go from one extreme to another (at least locally) overnight.  Of course the newly cleaned and filled pool is now in a pool!  But, all the seeds and seedlings are happy, so I’m happy.  The va bluebells and jewelweed are taking over the world this year, tant mieux pour moi!  (Look it up.)

Yesterday I cultivated and raked out some of the area around the veg garden, to be continued.  This year I want to plant mostly annual and perennial beneficial companionate flowers around it, more like a true English garden.  In fact, there will be more flowers everywhere.  The herb garden will be more dedicated and filled with annual and perennial apothecary/culinary herbs.

Down in the Lab, my tomatoes are already coming up!  Most of the other seedlings are up and looking pretty healthy, especially the cukes!  The German chamomile is actually flowering!  (Note to future self: peat pots seem to always get moldy and mildewy, even with removing the flat covers early in the process and using fans.  Maybe use new plastic pots for germination next time?)

So now S is home and Y is with Mom, so a whole other dynamic, featuring disgusting bodily noises and dorkiness as usual, but also E happily having his room to himself for once.  He removed half the kitchen moldering away in Y’s loft-bed!  So that’s where all the dishes went!  All but S are now off for their spring break, meaning it will be quiet during the days, anyway.

I know all this sounds pretty boring and mundane, but it’s one way to weather the fascist regime, just living as “normal” a life as possible.  If my hunch (based on actual facts) is right, this fiasco may not make it the full four years.  Yes, some otherwise or formerly competent leaders are being cowards and sellouts, but the outrage is fueling regular citizens of all persuasions, as well as activist leaders like AOC, to refuse to bow down and serve the self-appointed egomaniacs.  I think people are finally getting that democracy as we know it is done for.

The kids were off from school and sleeping in when I got there late morning.  I baked challah, and helped prep ingredients for Avdi’s fabulous gumbo with rice.

Then I cleared a few areas of the yard, and observed many seedlings coming up in the veg garden.  I’m hardening off some mature plants outside.  The cherry blossoms were in full bloom today, and some bluebell flower buds were just starting.

Jess came over and joined us for a good dinner.  The kids were particularly animated.  It was the most perfect windy but mild evening to walk home.  I wished I didn’t have to come inside, but there’s nowhere to enjoy the outdoors at my apt.

Tomorrow Avdi is driving to meet Stacey halfway to exchange Y for S.  It’s been a peaceful week.  I actually got to stream my shows on their large screen.