White Carpets

A beautiful white carpet of apple blossoms and S - N - O - W greeted us this morning.

I am grateful that not all my annuals are in the ground yet.

I am grateful that perennials generally withstand this sort of weather. It's not particularly cold, but the snow reminds us we live in Calgary and can expect it's visitation any time, all year. I'm converting my garden to more and more perennials, for obvious reasons. It's expensive and heartbreaking to lose so many flowering plants just after putting then into the ground.

I am grateful for a gardening concept I learned a few years ago called 'milk jug greenhouse'. Seeds are planted in specially prepared 4 litre milk jugs and then buried in the snow during the winter. When the plants begin to grow, they are very hardy because they have withstood the cold temperatures and grown in spite of it.

I am grateful for the quality of artificial plants and flowers which I have been know to purchase at the Dollar Store or Goodwill stores and strategically stick into the ground to give it the color I long for when real plants have not yet blessed me with their beauty.

Pouring Lemons?

Today it poured. Rain, snow, sleet, hail...all at once, leaving piles of white stuff on the lawn and wherever the wind blew it.

This is May, for goodness sakes...we are supposed to have sunshine and flowers, so I was taught as a child. But then, I grew up in SE Alberta in near desert conditions during the summer so it probably doesn't apply to Calgary.

I grew up with the phrase, April showers bring May flowers.

I suppose in Calgary it's May showers bring June/July flowers.

I'm so glad I was taught to make lemonade when life gives me lemons.

I am grateful for flowers whenever they arrive.