Iris Time

     The month of May is my favorite time to walk my acres.  It's not that I don't enjoy all the other daily walks, but May is Iris time.  I love iris.  The queen of flowers.  And this month she is reigning in Iten's Acres.  She is, of course, mysterious and fickle.  She is always full of surprises--and not all surprises are good.  But I love her still.  And will sing her praises.  And will add some more of her children to the kingdom for next year and the years to come.
     To be honest, she disappointed a little this year in some areas.  Bed 1--the first bed as you enter the acres--was down this year but that was not her fault.  Last fall I dug up this bed and re-did it.  I had few expectations of iris blooms.  The dwarf iris did "okay," and some of them will re-bloom in the fall.  The iris that looks like a sunset according to my older sister is going to grace the bed again.  (Keep an eye out for the next installment of pictures on facebook.)  The other iris in the bed which I was sure would bloom this time for the first time grew magnificently--but no blooms.  Those are the iris that frustrate me the most.  Why go to all the trouble to grow so luscious and then fizzle at the end? 
      Other of the queen's subjects disappointed as well.   Bed 2 and Bed 9 had a few blooms but not many.  Bed 2 is in need of what Bed 1 got last year--a re-do.  Bed 9 is just cantankerous.  My favorite iris is in that bed, and it has only bloomed once in the six years I've been here.  My patience is being tested.  I may have to break down and cheat next year and put some special iris food on the rhizomes.  Don't tell anyone please.  I hate to spoil them.
     On the other side of the spectrum, it has in many places been a glorious year for iris.  Bed 5 has been magnificent again.  Bed 11 up by the house--the one Mom can see from her window seat--has been more than magnificent--again.  Mom must have a deal going with the iris in that bed.  It's a rainbow of color--blue, white, red, apricot, yellow, purple, lavender, peach, ocher, a feast for the eyes and a bouquet for the nose.  And the other big surprise this year has been the number of iris that ignored the two year plan.  As I've mentioned over and over again, my experience has been that it takes new iris two years to bloom.  Not so this spring.  I've had a dozen iris, at least, that have ignored the plan and bloomed in this their rookie season.  Some in the beds, some by the pond, some in the rock garden, and even some in the wild area.  The glorious has far outweighed the disappointments.  Ahhh, the iris.  There's still a week or two of her beauty to grace my walks.  I will enjoy each one.  And though there is some sadness at her withholding of some of her beauty, I cannot complain.  Love is not perfect, but it is love.

The Lull

     It is that time of the year when there is a lull between the myriads of daffodils that grace early and mid-spring and the multitude of iris that beautify mid to late spring.  As I walk, there are a few late daffodils that are still abloom particularly in Bed 2 and the Rock Garden.  Those are two of the areas that always "lag behind" the other areas--not that I mind.  (The Rock Garden is splendid right now--daffodils, thrift, quince, creeping phlox, periwinkle, spirea.  You should see it!)  There are also some dwarf daffodils hanging on--late bloomers.  And the green-eyed daffodils are always last to bloom.  As I walk, the iris are just in the bud stage--except for a few dwarf iris that start early.  In fact, the first real iris--a white with a rose tint that always blooms first--just bloomed today.  (It's close to the house so I'll take Mom on a beauty hunting excursion later today.)  Anyway,  it will be a while before the iris take the stage.  I can wait.  Each walk I check to see what new buds show up.  Hold your breath.  There's going to be quite a show if they all follow through.
     But what to do in the lull--in the in-between moments of daffodils and iris?  Trust me.  God fills the lulls with beauty too,  The red and white bleeding hearts are in full array.  The blue bells and pink and white coral bells are everywhere.  The camassia--their feet in water--are unfolding their purple loveliness.  The purple tall  allium unabashedly compete for the purple prize.  The crab apples--scarlet and white--are sheets of color.  The apple trees, too, are awash in white. The flowering almonds add a dapple of pink here and there.  Violets still carpet the ground in many areas--purples, whites, yellows, two-tones.  A tulip or two refuses to quit showing off.  The wild phlox are spreading everywhere.  There's even a stand or two of bittersweet--small but brilliant purples.  And a variety of yellow wildflowers that I have no idea what their name is.  I just call them beautiful, stick them in a vase, and let my mom enjoy them.
     Some lull!  How often in the "lulls" of life, in the present-tense "down times," have I by focusing on the past and anticipating the future, missed the glory of today?  Bring on the "lulls"!

Riding Iten's Acres

     Yesterday was the first mowing day at the acres.  It was a little later than normal because of the incessant rain of the last month.  But finally the chance came to at least mow some of the grass.  I wasn't able to mow it all.  The front of my property on one side is still under water.  An area between the pond and the house is still too wet as well.  Part of the property next to the house is still covered with walnut tree; the one who is supposed to take it away has been negligent.  (Those parts I'll mow by hand next week.  Thanks again Jason for the muscle mower!)  And part--a small part--of the back didn't get mowed because I ran out of time.  But most of the acres are mowed.  I'll finish the back area on Monday if it doesn't rain too hard.  I prefer not to mow on Sunday.  Oh, I don't believe in a Sabbath restriction, but I find a day of rest marvelous and energizing.  Who came up with that idea to rest one day a week?  It's a good one.
     The first mow comes with some trepidation.  First, will the mower work?  Will it even start after a winter of idleness.  And then will it mow without breaking down?  No offense to those of you who love your Toro but mine has broken down every year that I've owned it--at least once.  Three cheers for warranties or I might have paid more on repairs the last four years than I paid to buy the thing.  Next mower will not be a Toro.  This time it worked fine.  The next trepidation is will I accidentally cut any small trees or shrubs down?  This year for the first time I was not a klutz.  Everything survived!!!  And the grass was really high, but I still managed to not mow any of them down.  Feel free to pat me on the back.  But please wait until I'm done doing so.  The third worry is will the barn swallows be back yet to keep me company on my ride?  Alas, they have not yet returned.  Sad face.
     I do love mowing!  Call me strange if you want, but I look forward to it.  This time of year it has an extra joy--beheading hundreds of dandelions!  Yes!!!  But I also enjoy just being outside in the fresh air.  There's time to think as you mow too.  I have to be careful that I don't zone out and wipe out some shrubs as mentioned before, but the time alone with my thoughts is great.  Horror of horrors, sometimes singing occurs.  And though I wear a hat and have no hair so the wind can't blow through my hair, the breeze feels good.  I even enjoy, after I've finished the mowing, taking a walk and admiring my work.  It just looks better; the paths in the wild area feel brand new; the shrubs and small trees stand out free from the camouflage of the tall grass.  I don't cut any majestic patterns--I don't even cut straight lines--but it still looks beautiful.  Mowing day is a good day.  Riding Iten's Acres is a delight, one of the joys of simple things.  "This is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it!"