Monday--a day for reviewing last week and doing chores

Mondays are a day to rest after a busy weekend, a time to review last week, and, in the case of the first week of the month, to assess last month.  But it's also a day to begin the weekly and monthly chores to keep the rhythm of the week and month moving forward.  It's a good thing the weather was chilly and overcast once again. It set the mood today for reflection on April and replenishment for May.

First and foremost, I thought of the garden moments that didn't fit into any daily entries in late April.  The Bleeding Heart was blooming last week and a fern I don't recognize was unfurling its fronds.  Is it a Japanese Painted Fern? I'll find out as spring --and it--progresses.

Old-fashioned Dicentra brought from Carriage Drive garden

Primula vulgaris returns--and survives the mulching machine (Larry)

This yellow primrose came back. I'm not sure if it was a supermarket variety. I just planted another one I've been keeping on my windowsill through April to remind me that it really was Spring. Now that I'm sure Spring is here, I stuck it in the dirt--and clipped a sprig of quince to keep on the window sill.  With luck, I'll have something from the garden to display on the window sill each week as we progress through the growing season.

I didn't keep good records of what I planted last year.  That's one of the reasons I am pledging to keep up this blog faithfully this year--to keep a journal of what I planted and how my plants did this third year of the garden.

The veggie and herb planters on the deck are looking great.  If I take a photo each week, I may be able to create a slide show to illustrate their growth just before I begin harvesting the produce.

You might notice the slide show of the village center here in East Hampton last week on the right sidebar.  It shows the gazebo, traffic triangle and flag pole plantings maintained by the local garden club (of which I am a member). That's how and when I learned to make a slide show and insert it in this blog.  Amazing!

The other reasons to keep up this blog: to learn to use a web journal, to develop better photography skills, and to practice some creative writing.  Somehow it doesn't seem like a chore!