Spring has Sprung
A sweet gift from my sweet Andrew.
The signs of spring are everywhere. Rebirth and newness are evident all over creation from the first wildflowers to the newborn calves in the pastures. The landscape has turned green seemingly overnight. I so love springtime!
The skies are clear and blue. The warmth of the sun is rousing everything to life. A cool breeze blows gently, which in the shade makes the temperature cool enough for a sweater. I went barefoot through the yard yesterday. I have always loved the feel the coolness of the dirt on my bare feet.
My fruit trees are blooming with beautiful white flowers. The ash tree has light green leaves all over it. I see a few weeds in my landscaping that need to be pulled already. The horses are shedding their winter hair. These are all signs to celebrate the passing of winter.
The old timers are still warning of an April freeze so I am a little anxious about planting my spring garden. My goal this week is to get my cabbage, peas, carrots, potatoes, and lettuce planted. I am going to wait until after Easter to plant the summer vegetables. I am being a little cautious; however, my husband is beginning to think we should just take our chances and plant everything.
Many people are suffering from allergies to pollen. The news reported that pollen levels were extreme. Luckily, we know to what each one of us are allergic. The Applied Kinesiologist gave us drops to combat the allergies. They work very well so we are not suffering like the rest of our local population.
A good natural way to overcome your pollen allergy is to consume a teaspoon of local honey a day throughout the year. You can put the honey on buttered toast, sweeten your hot tea, or eat it from a spoon. The way you consume the honey is irrelevant. The primary ingredient of honey is nectar that the bees collect from flowers. Therefore honey contains small amounts of pollen, which is why it is important that the honey you consume to ward off allergies is locally made.
Most students are on their Spring Break this week. My husband and I have committed one day to family fun; however, we are waiting for our children to agree on what to do. So, we might not do anything at all if they don’t agree on something soon.
One of my favorite things about spring is that I get bouquets of flowers on a daily basis from my boys. As Andrew and Isaac brought me my first bouquet for the year yesterday, I wondered what compelled them to pick the flowers. They are too young to have seen others do it. It must be innate to want to share beauty with someone that you love.
They brought me delicate white flowers from our front yard. They smell so sweet and get yellow pollen all over your nose. We call them wild onions,. I do not know their real name, and I couldn’t find them in any book.
I did run across these verses from the Song of Solomon that I want to share with you. I think it illustrates what this part of Texas is experiencing right now.
For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. (2:11-12)
One version says, “the cooing of doves” instead of turtle, which makes me think that Solomon is writing about turtle doves. Regardless, I have not seen any turtles or turtle doves, but I have seen snakes. The warmth of the sun has brought them out and about. One of our cats killed a grass snake and left it at our front door. I warned my children to be on the lookout again.
Spring brings wonderful weather and beautiful flowers. It also brings pollen-related allergies and snakes. Spring time is a busy time for homesteaders. The garden needs to be planted and tended. The newborn animals need to be extra attention. Spring brings both pleasure and hard work for homesteaders. I just hope that you find joy in what you do this season.
The ultimate “old timer” Papa always said to wait until the pecan trees begin to bud, then there will be no more freezes. How do your pecan trees look? Mine have yet to bud, but I am just as anxious to begin planting my new flower beds now that they are cleaned out….almost!
Carol,
I went and looked at our pecan trees. They are not budding out at all. Very interesting! Thank you for sharing that story about Papa. It was one that I did not know.
Lara
Mesquites leaf out,no more freezes.I’ve never seen them get caught by a late freeze. 70 yrs and counting.
Lovett,
Thank you for taking the time to share your observation. We do not have mesquite in this area, but some of my readers can watch for signs of spring with the mesquite trees in their area.
Lara
Lara,
Whitney is taking Botany and has a great book on Texas Wildflowers. I think Andrew picked a bunch of Crow Poison, also called “False Garlic”. It’s either that or wild onions. We always called them daisies when we picked them for Mama.
Love you,
diane