Compost

Quite a while a go my husband and I started to become more aware of all the things we were throwing in the trash. The things that can be recycled were taken note of and a recycling center of sorts was started in our pantry area. We briefly contracted for a service to pick up much of our recycling once a week. This is a wonderful way to go, but has a monthly bill. The city we live in doesn't have mandatory recycling services, but does offer several locations for free drop off of the majority of recyclables. My husband is really good about staying on top of our items and tries to do a weekly drop off.

We also noticed all the biodegradable items that were going in our trash can. Apple and banana peels, egg shells, and potato skins were staring up at us all the time from the trash. Every fall we were also running to the hardware store for brown paper lawn bags.

Over the most recent Christmas holiday my husband set out to make a yard compost system for kitchen scraps and grass and leaves from the yard.

He found some wonderful plans on the Lowes website. The finished project is wonderful and took him about a full week-end to assemble. We keep a bucket in our kitchen to put our compost items in and when it fills up we just run it out to the backyard. I especially like the fact that this compost bin is rodent proof and has two sides. We need to ask a neighbor to contribute some grass clippings so we have some more green things in there as we have a recycling mower. We still need to try to reduce the amount of trash, but for now this is a wonderful addition to our lives and to our yard!

Daffodils

photo via www.whiteflowerfarm.com

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed--and gazed--but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Viburnum Love

I think I'm in love with viburnums.

They offer so many different delights. Beautiful, fragrant flowers of all types in the spring, low maintenance lush green leaves of different textures and often gorgeous colored leaves and berries in the fall.

We've started a little viburnum collection in our backyard. I think we may be up to about five now, but one of my favorites is the Viburnum Carlesii 'Korean Spice'.

I received this wonderful shrub for Mother's Day last year from my dear husband and sons.
I think it was one of those moments that I might remember when I'm old and gray.

My husband understood how special it was to me to feel loved and remembered on Mother's Day and my oldest son seemed so excited to tell me that they got me a "Viburnum" for my special day.

It has the sweetest spicy, girly sort of smell and wonderful little pinkish white flowers.

I love the textures of the leaves and the raspberry pink buds it has just before blooming.

Spring is here and I'm feeling the love.

Living with Boys

I always thought I would have a daughter. I never imagined being surrounded solely by boys.

There are boys things everywhere. Spider Man underwear, Robin Hood videos, Matchbox cars and fire trucks that have wailing sirens. I imagine girls present other specific challenges that perhaps don't involve superhero powers or heated battles with bad guys. Some days I'm sad there aren't pink dresses and tights to fold on laundry day, but other days I feel like it's a specific responsibility assigned to me to instill love and compassion in my sons so they will be kind to those around them in years to come.

In the mean time I'm finding myself suddenly interested in more girly things for myself - that I never was interested in before. Maybe it's a need I'm feeling to set myself apart from the men in my life.

I'm also seeing the world in a whole new way. I'm looking at grown men now in a different way too. They aren't just bosses and coworkers, doctors and mechanics, judges and criminals, but suddenly I'm realizing that they were little boys once too, some not so long a go.

Spring (sort of)

It's officially spring, but the weather keeps playing tricks on us. A couple weeks a go it was wonderfully warm. I cut back hydrangeas and grasses and saw the daffodils peaking their little tops out. I got out the boys' shorts to see what would fit. We bought our oldest son some new sandals.

Then it got cold again. There were snow flurries yesterday.

The winter coats and hats came back out.

The magnolias have some stalled buds on their branches, trying to decide what to do.

It's a bit too cold to think about planting, but our oldest son called me from the garden center with his grandpa asking if I would like some pansies.

How could I refuse?

It's still too cold to put them outside, so for the time being they are brightening our days on the dining room table. I had forgotton how sweet they smell.