more yard stuff and a minor panic

More working out in the yard this week. Planted some morning glory and obedient plant seeds in starter pots, got the first planting of carrot seeds in the ground, did more weeding in two flower beds, still trying to get the ants out of the flower bed where I want to put my zinnias. The last several days were blue sky days, this is from Monday.

It started out clear today but is now partly cloudy and the wind is back, sustained 14 mph with gusts to 20. The wind chimes are constant. I worked in one flower bed for about an hour and a half until I’d had enough of the wind. This evening we are back to a clear blue sky, the wind having driven the clouds out.

I’m actually getting some azalea flowers this year for the first time in about four years. While we had temps in the 20s they came early and didn’t last long enough to cause all the foliage to die off though it did take out all my freesia laxa (false freesia, flowering grass, woodland painted petals) in the iris family. I’m even going to have some easter lilies for the same reason. Last week while walking the dog I noticed the ash trees had come out, always the first, and the ornamental pear/plum (?) trees were blooming and now I notice my gingko trees have popped out a few leaves and other trees are close behind. The flag iris are putting up bloom scapes as is one small cluster of amaryllis. The bletilla (ground orchids) are blooming.

The goldfinches have left for points northward and with the warmer weather the birds aren’t depending on the bird feeder as much. I’m only filling it once a day now.

I had my annual eye appointment with the ophthalmologist Monday afternoon. The cataract in my left eye worsened enough last year that I’m now ready to have it fixed. The procedure is scheduled for May 7th. Everyone tells me I’m going to love the result.

Last night was my night to cook. I made a little dessert first, a blueberry strawberry crostata, and baked catfish fillets, red beans and rice (from a can but this brand is very good), and mustard greens. I was FaceTiming Jade while I was washing the greens in a sink full of water and tearing them up, putting them in the pot to cook and I had my phone propped up against the wall behind the sink. The timer went off for the crostata so I checked and turned to get a hot pad when I saw my phone slide right into the water. I snatched it out immediately and pulled the cover off and got the compressed air can and blew the water out and fortunately, no damage to the phone. Everything seems to be working perfectly. The extra few minutes in the oven while I panicked didn’t hurt the crostata either. 

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I was going to write about some of the latest fuckery perpetrated by Trump and Musk and our State Department but it’s all just too horrid and depressing. Suffice to say for now that they are going after the First Amendment, our right to free speech, free assembly, and protest. Trump has now labeled people who protest him, Musk, and his policies as terrorists. More later.