Crab Apple Trees

Happy Earth Day

It's Earth Day and today was a wonderful day in my neck of the woods. The sun was out and there were very light breezes.

I got an early jumpstart on Earth Day over the weekend because my beau and I volunteered to pick up trash around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. It was a very organized event and it's my understanding that many people participated in picking up trash around the lakes in the Twin Cities and around the Mississippi River. My beau and I shared one bag, but we sure filled it up quickly. Considering that there were many other participants also picking up trash around Lake Harriet, boy-oh-boy, there was A LOT of trash.

Today I wanted to share pictures of the lake (yes, it's poor quality and very poorly taken) and of the apricot blossoms blooming in my yard (yes, I just learned late last month that I have an apricot tree in my yard). Do you notice the different coloring in the apricot blossoms (as compared to the cherry blossoms)?

Cherry Blossoms

Blooming Blossoms

In my May 4, 2009 blog entry I noted that my cherry blossoms were beginning to bloom. Lo-and-behold, this morning I noticed that my cherry blossoms were just beginning to bloom (and it’s only the middle of April). I also noticed that I had a strawberry blossom too. Despite it being cloudy and windy outside (conditions making outside a bit cooler), I still can't believe that spring has sprung.

Rain

After weeks of prediction that it will rain every other day when in actuality it was just a sunny and windy day, or cloudy and overcast sky (sometimes with a very light drizzle), the first rain storm came down early early this morning in the Metro area. The lightening and thunder were so fierce that it kept me up for most of the early morning.

I’m so glad that there is rain. I’m hoping for more rain because our spring has started so early and I really don’t want a drought this summer. Of course I don’t care too much for my grass and I can easily water my little garden from a hose. Really, I’m more concerned about the lakes and other wildlife in Minnesota that are dependent on the snow and rain. I remember last summer was pretty bad because many of the lakes receded to the point where it became a pond.

The sun is coming out behind the clouds late this afternoon, but the sky is still overcast. I hope that more rain is on its way.

Really, I Can Garden?

I still can't believe that spring has come so early to the Twin Cities. I've been hesitating in preparing my garden beds, afraid that a frost will come in and kill what I've planted. However, today was a beautiful day and it made me feel a bit silly for waiting. It has been semi-warm the last several weeks and I've come to the conclusion that if there's a frost, then there's a frost and that I'll take my chances. It also gave me a reason to wear and test out my dusty blue garden boots.

So, this afternoon I decided that I was going to start my garden. With the help of my brother we weeded and cleared out the little plot I had in my backyard. We made little rows and I planted the following fruits and vegetables: watermelon (one whole row was dedicated to just growing watermelons), jalapeno, red hot cherry pepper, cilantro, onions, two types of lettuce, radish, and cabbage. We'll see if anything comes up.

What's so cool is that some onions (you can see it to the left and right of the metal pole) and parsley are flourishing in the little plot. These were plants that were left over from last summer and I'm very glad that the plants survived.