frosty thoughts

Officially, Madison's frost date is May 15th. It's not that you can plant your tomatoes outdoors after that: those fruity vegetables require temps that stay consistently above 50F (10C), otherwise they stage mini rebellions. (Believe me, you do not want your young tomatoes to engage in protest!) But after May 15th, you're supposed to be able to plant your annuals with confidence that no frost will eat them alive. (Some say that actually you should have that confidence after May 2nd, while others say you are guaranteed no frost after May20th, but most stick with May 15th  as the date after which you can go ahead and plant.)

I usually aim for earlier. I fill my tubs with cold-sensitive plants right around May 1st and I put out porch flower pots then as well. Every once in a while, a threat of a hard frost has sent me lugging plants inside or at least covering them with blankets, but for the most part, we've survived.

This year is a little different in that we have had a cool first half of May and we are getting another frost advisory tonight. That consistent cold has made most of the tub plants grow ever so slowly if at all. They are not happy campers! I'm really hoping that we'll get through this night without damage. These chilly nights are for the birds!

This morning, I had an early appointment and Ed had an early appointment -- each of us functioning within our own domains (his, for example, was with a Craigslist guy who tinkered with weed whippers and sold parts to your own machine). All this after feeding the animals and walking the farmette lands of course. 

Breakfast was very late and you would have thought this would have pushed us out onto the porch, but no: too cold for that!

Still, you have to tell yourself that this is summer weather for, say, northern Scotland. So, maybe chilly by your radar or my sensibilities, but not too bad in the scheme of things. (A high of 53F, or 12C today.)

But I am feeling doubtful about getting Snowdrop to spend some time outside with me after school. She has had three cold outdoor recesses at school (when 53F was still but a dream). I'm sure she'll want cozy indoor time!

I'm not altogether correct on this. Gaga, you said you had asparagus to pick?

(Yes!)

And once out in the fields, she just cannot resist the dandelions.

And for a grandmother, for this grandmother, a child with dandelions is everything that's wonderful about life and the great outdoors: the simplicity of it, the pleasure of picking, sniffing ("they smell like honey!"), blowing, and even feeling the sticky milky juice which I believed as a child was the perfect antidote to warts (my generation worried about warts!), and honestly, the sheer beauty of the puffs and of the golden flowers -- all that is so grand, and the thing is, children instinctively know this. They're drawn to these flowers each May. And all I can do is follow with a camera and smile all the while as I take one photo and then another...

Evening. Last minute details of my mom's move to arrange. And leftovers for dinner. And finally, I take out my sketches and maps, aiming to attack the tree planting plan again. I make a dent! I have some rough ideas and Ed is too spent to challenge them much!

Now, can we keep the temps a little higher than a frosty freeze tonight? Okay? Thank you!

With love.