sun

After days of mucky, gray and wet skies, the sun came up on Sunday and there were no clouds in the sky.

After church, I ended up puttering in the front garden all day. Mostly I raked up leftover leaves into the flower beds to serve as a winter mulch. I cut down all the dried out asters and other perennials that no longer served as food for the birds. I pulled out a lot of brazilian verbena. This had the effect of removing some of the Addams family look my garden had taken since the overnight freezes a week or so ago.

I weeded a little, divided some hostas and planted them, and dug out a few japanese anemones that have popped up in an area that I don't want them. I also moved catmint to a spot alongside the driveway entrance, and moved two russian sages that had not done well in other spots to that same place. They'll get sun there. And I moved some lamb's ear there, as well.

One red rose is blooming, a couple of daisies, and the ever faithful rocket snaps. The lamb's ear is still green, and some of the other herbs. A few bluebonnets and larkspur have already seeded out, which is too bad. In Texas, I would have put the seed out in October, and sadly winter will kill these.

But a day in sunlight, with air cool enough to do away with heat stress on the plants, no bugs, and a soft, crumbly soil. That is paradise.