Using Your Head

My mother has spent a shocking amount of time telling me to use my head (as more than a hat rack!). Turns out there are more uses for my head than I knew!

Last year's beauty

 There are signs of spring appearing in my neighborhood, if I was bold enough to go out and see them. It was over fifty degrees the other day and I took the dogs out for a spin around the block. The house down the hill from me has iris breaking the surface already. I have not seen anything in my yard yet, mainly because I have not been outside to look. I refuse to step out there until it warms up! This is one of the main reasons that I do not ever plant the charming spring ephemerals that I see pictured all over the Internet this week. I won't see them. Also I do not do a big fall cleanup, which my grass doubtless resents but my flowers prefer. I leave the perennials until spring. The stalks protect the crowns and the birds eat the seeds. Some beneficial insects overwinter in the litter (less attractive ones do to, it's a mixed bag). This year Shana has given me the fabulous treat of a yard guy to come and do my cleanup. This is kind of a big deal and not only because it's tedious work. You can only take a certain amount of yard waste to the dump at a time, and you have to empty the bags. Very time consuming. I always save a lot of leaves for my composter and to add to my mulch during the season, but it's still several trips with a carload of bags. Then my birthday gift - a boulder (!) and masses of mulch. Cape Cod is a glacial moraine, so there are a lot of boulders about the place. I do not happen to have one in my yard though. I have a burning envy of people who have nice big ones in the middle of their yard - such an interesting focal point for a bed.  I have not yet decided where my boulder will live. Part of my choice must depend on the installation. I can't have heavy equipment running over my septic system of my irrigation. And it should be visible from the road so all can see my good fortune!