Signs

Day 83: Someone once said that fishing was "an endless series of occasions for hope." I feel that way about Spring. The first swelling bud, the first tip of green to burst through the soil, inspires me to break out the seed catalogs to begin planning my year's gardening adventure. These days, of course, my perusing is done on line which, if the truth be known, is much less satisfying than going page by page through a "wish book," but on the other hand (and I'm sure companies won't want to hear this), it keeps me from buying more varieties than I actually need, or daring to try something new. I order my tried-and-true favourites, and that's it. That said, there's not much room in my garden for annuals these years. My mother's wisdom finally soaked in, and I've let the perennials spread. All I really want is colour without a lot of weeding. A dense cover of perennials makes my job a lot easier.