Sunday at Home

People, on their phone "to do" lists, keep important dates.  Mine right now are various appointments but you'll also find the dates the local garden centers and farm markets reopen for the season.

Spring is truly here and I have a bad case of spring fever.

The first week of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge completed (tomorrow starts again with "G") I spend some time in my backyard in the Binghamton area of upstate New York while my spouse (shame on me!) does yard work.

It reached 71 today.  What welcome digits they are; I would kiss them if I could.

Puttering around my yard, I see I have one Lenten Rose in bloom. My other one (purple) should be opening up (I hope) in time for the 15th - Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

One garden center I like is open, and spouse took me there yesterday because the itch to plant something...anything...was finally too strong to resist.  I found some pansies and Johnny Jump Ups. Spouse planted the pansies which now I will have to guard against the squirrels who like to come and destroy whatever I dare plant in my containers.

I also planted a hanging basket with 12 "jump ups". These are a new variety for me, called "Cool Wave".  Like Wave petunias (which this company developed), the wave jump ups are supposed to spread.  We'll see.  Our season here is short, these flowers like cold and sometimes it will get into the 90's here in early May.

No ornamental shrubs in bloom in our area, but I think we (not me, but others) will have forsythias by the end of the week.  My crocuses (which are in a cool spot, and bloom late) should be blooming in the next couple of days.

The march of Spring has finally reached New York's southern tier. Nature is forgiven for the sleet it pelted down on us only Friday.  Just don't do it again, Nature, or my forgiveness will be much harder to earn.

Thank you to my Southern blogging friends who keep my garden flame burning during the frozen months.

Day 7 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost

Tomorrow, back to #AtoZChallenge.