May 19th, 2011 Rainy, Grey, Spring Days
The last few days, the weather has been cold, grey, rainy, with a fierce and unrelenting wind. From the window, the lawn seems mysterious and darkly romantic, much like a Daphne du Maurier novel. I can squint a little and almost see myself wandering the foggy moors, lovelorn and pondering dark secrets.
Inside, it’s warm, dry, comforting. The kind of day where a steaming cup of tea is the perfect treat. I’m quite the opposite of lovelorn and I’m certainly not wandering the house in dark mystery. However, I have been looking at the gardens through the rain splattered glass and I’m impatient to start planting. Before the rains began, I was digging and clearing and waiting for the frost date to pass – here in northern Indiana, our last frost date is estimated between May 13 and May 24.
One year, the weather seemed warm enough and I planted my garden before the last frost date. The days and nights had been warm and pleasant and I was sure that my plants would be safe. You guessed it: all the plants got zapped with a frost. Every last one of them. When the frost warning came, I had even covered everything with newspapers, thinking that would be enough to protect them. It wasn’t. The next morning they were all just shriveled black sprigs. I learned patience from that experience and now I wait until after the last frost date, no matter how anxious I am to get the garden started.
I can see from the window that the lilacs are in full bloom. I may even go out in the rain and gather an armful; they will fill the house with such a lovely fragrance and the colors of lavender and purple.
The quiet peace of patience and the scent of fresh lilacs. Yes, there is a bright side even on cold, grey days.
