Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all my Sunday Letter friends!
Don’t forget to wear green. In case you’ve forgotten, the reason for green is because mischievous leprechauns can’t see that particular color. If you aren’t wearing green, they’ll pinch you. There’s probably a more historical reason, but that’s the story we heard in elementary school back when kids could pinch each other and no one complained with more than a giggle or a whine and maybe a shove on the playground.
Speaking of Green
Everything is finally beginning to green up. I say finally like it’s late when really it isn’t. For whatever reason (lots of rain and super cold temps), spring has felt so incredibly out of reach this year. But we only have three more days to wait.
Yes, I’m counting down.
What’s blooming in our garden? A few yellow and orange daffodils, purple crocus, pink thrift growing around the fire pit. I poked around in the soil yesterday and noticed our peony is coming up as well as our hostas!
The largest impact will soon come from our Korean spice and leatherleaf viburnum. When they bloom, it’s an explosion for the bees! Blooms aren’t just on flowers, y’all.
HGTV
Remember when HGTV included gardening? I remember watching HGTV shows on Sunday afternoon, one after another, and each episode was garden themed. Now? The only plants you’ll see on the show will be those added at the tail end of a home improvement show to enhance curb appeal before the next real estate flip.
I say all this to tell you I spent some time with Erica Glasener this past weekend. She was the March speaker for the Flower, Garden, and Nature Society of Northwest Arkansas. Erica hosted A Gardener’s Diary on HGTV for 14 years. I LOVED her show and always learned about new plants each episode.
It was so cool to meet her and hear first-hand about her passion for gardening. Now I am really fired up about spring. Thank you Erica!
First Buzzing Bee
I saw my first bee of the season yesterday. He was buzzing all around sipping nectar and moving pollen in the front bed of our cottage while I pulled enough wild onions to make a soup. I probably don’t have to tell you how fabulous it was to spend some time pulling weeds, clearing the iris of dried leaves, and watching that little bee do his thing. A sign of spring, for sure.
Oh, and I found morel mushrooms growing too!
To be honest, I was keeping an eye out for morels because I found them last year in the same area. According to wildlife biologist Joe Lacefield, morels grow near sycamore, hickory, ash, elm and some fruit trees. We have a huge ash, so there you have it.
Something Strange
Last Sunday I woke up with a black eye. For no reason whatsoever. I must have rubbed my eye in my sleep. (I attended a new-to-me church on that day, which made me feel a little weird sporting a black eye and all…)
Anyway, thankfully it faded after a couple of days, and I never really solved the mystery.
Of course I took a picture because I take pictures of everything.
Looking back through my pictures this morning, I saw my eye staring back at me. I remembered how sometimes on St. Patrick’s Day, if we forgot to wear green, those of us lucky enough to have green eyes, would say, “but my eyes are green.”
LOL. St. Patrick’s Day was the favored holiday for those of us with green eyes.
Things Momma Says
Me: Should I make a green dessert for Saint Patrick’s Day?
Momma: I don’t eat green desserts.
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Thanks for reading! Luck o’ the Irish to you, my dear Sunday Letter friends.
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
Good morning! I am so ready for spring! Here in Virginia, we have also had cold rain almost every day. I got out on our first nice day, and planted herbs. Felt so good. I totally agree abut the gardening shows, i love to watch P. Allen Smith, because he is about the only one left! Keep those beautiful garden pics coming. They are my inspiriation!
Mary Ann, I am in Chesterfield County. We still live in our little starter house a short distance from Chippenham.
Thank you Mary Ann! Spring will be here soon. Hold on!
I was addicted to HGTV myself. I even wrote them a letter to inform them that they would lose viewers if they kept on their path to RETV (Real Estate TV) Obviously, they did not agree. I have to admit that I was wrong My favorite shows featured a celebration of ANY holiday with decor, food and party tips. I even spent hours taping those holiday episodes, however I accidentally donated my favorite tape because I did not label it properly. After searching YouTube, those elusive programs of Carol Duval Christmas specials, hours of Matt and Shari’s holiday decorating ideas, Sharon Anderson’s annual holiday preparations and house tours are all lost to me, but I still scour possible sources. If anybody has any ideas where I might find copies to purchase, I would be eternally grateful.
Yes, you are correct. It should now be called RETV.
I so remember watching Paul James! He lived near us in Tulsa and I loved his show. Now I’m off to google “Korean spice and leatherleaf viburnum” because I don’t know these.
You’ll have to come into our back yard when they are blooming (soon!). They are magnificent!
I did some work in my flower beds Sunday afternoon and also saw the promise of peonies and hostas. Welcoming spring, for sure! What? Not even lime Jello!