In all my careful ordering and planing and listing and mapping of plants this year, I made a couple of errors. For example, today, after a sort of leisurely (but not really leisurely) breakfast...
... I sneaked in a few hours of planting (23 plants, so not too bad!). It was that or scrub the house. At the last minute I let the house go and went for the shovel. One of the plants that was to go in right next to a path (so a place of honor!) was a day lily with the name of Primal Scream. But I couldn't find it in my carefully laid out collection. Did they forget to send it? Or did I mistakenly place it somewhere else? I called White Flower Farm and she waited for me to say "it was your fault," but instead I said "it may have been my fault, I don't know!" The people there are very nice. I've been buying from them for well over thirty years and they are always very patient with me.
In the end I decided that it wasn't fair to ask them for a replacement, but so long as I had them on the phone, I ordered the last three lilium they had for the year. And also the missing Primal Scream. And then I wondered -- can primal scream be a positive shout out, or is it always somewhat tinged with horror?
I think it can be a scream of exuberance, touched with perhaps an overflow of activity. That would describe my days now, because in addition to the planting and my mother and the forest and the chicks and everything else that has been filling my waking hours, I have (today!) the arrival of my younger girl and her family for a quick visit. And I should correct that: it's not "in addition to," but rather -- the main attraction!
And we have good weather for outdoor play and outdoor meals, which is important because we're mixing two households where the kids aren't vaccinated and some adults aren't 100% finished with the vaccinations, so we will be doing most everything in the fresh air. Masked where possible.
Who can complain -- this weekend, the crabs are launching their beautiful display.
(One could argue that the peach trees are even prettier, but I don't engage in such comparisons!)
In the afternoon, I still pick up Snowdrop and she still does come to the farmhouse for some books, snacks and play...
...But by 4:30 we (and this includes Ed) are back at Snowdrop's home. The Chicago family has arrived.
(unmasked for this photo, but maintaining distance on this suddenly windy and cool-ish evening)
I can write nothing more -- it's all a blur of play, of food, of rainbows.
And tomorrow, it will continue thus. I could let out a primal scream of enthusiastic gratitude!
