Pollen is very, very high today. It's also cool again, and threatening. I guess I should be happy with the coolness and near-constant threat of rain, as we were supposed to have had a drought this year. It certainly doesn't seem drought-like (droughtful? droughtish?) now.

I took a look around the backyard yesterday and found that peas are growing pretty much everywhere I planted them. They aren't quite big enough to start grabbing onto the stakes I stuck in the ground next to each planting site (that's the only way I was able to find the pea plants), but they probably will be in a week or two. Peas are the easiest thing to grow and they do create a satisfying harvest. Both types appear to be doing well.

Inside, the sweet alyssum is still tiny - only about 3/4 of an inch high. Hmm. I hate fussing too much, either indoors or out. I mean, what's the fun of a garden if it's just work, work, work? I'll water and I'll weed on occasion, and even feed a little, but basically I want plants to do their own thing. Yes, that means that often there are failures, but it also means that there's more time spent enjoying the garden and less time spent with a painful back. Plus, it's good to not use too many chemicals. There's wildlife around here - I'd much rather lose my grapes or whatever to a few hungry raccoons than find a deceased raccoon in my yard (ugh).

The inside plants, except for the alyssum, are all doing well. Hey, alyssum - shape up! :-D There are two kinds of cacti, Xmas cacti and some impatiens, plus a bulb is coming up and I can't recall what the heck it is. Possibly a tulip or a small iris? Helfino! I wish the geranium hadn't gone to that great garden center in the sky, but that was definitely an overwatering issue. I'll just get a new geranium. The crysanthemum is somewhat dormant (it doesn't do its thing until late summer, early autumn). I'm sure I'm forgetting something and right now I'm too lazy to go to the next room and look.

Oh, and the hibiscus is returning! You'd think a tropical plant would just keel over in New England winters, but this is the third year for this plant and it's coming back in high style.

Finally a warm day! Well, somewhat warm, as there's still a lot of wind blowing this way and that. It's partly sunny, definitely a shorts day.

I forgot to mention, I also have sunflower and hubbard squash seeds in the ground. If you don't know what hubbard squash is, check out the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The pods are hubbard squash - kind of bluish-greyish and shaped roughly like a cornucopia.

Much nicer day today. It started off clear but it's clouding over. Still, there are breaks in the clouds. Hey, it's something.

I missed a few plants in the last entry. There are also a lot of hosta (they just come up every year), plus lambs' ears and rhododendrons.

There was a gorgeous rainbow last evening, just before it got dark. Tried to see the planetary alignment last night but it seems the area either has too much light pollution or I was looking in the wrong area or at the wrong time. Will try again tonight.

I've planted peas (2 kinds - one has an edible pod), asparagus, irises, lilies, hyacinths, daffodils, crocuses, tulips and sweet alyssum, plus there are grape vines, a huge rose bush and violets in the lawn (plus grass, of course, and clover).

Right now, the weather is dreary and it threatens to rain again (it rained yesterday).

The daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses are, of course, done. The tulips are hanging on, just barely. The irises are starting. The rose bush has leafed and has a lot of buds but nothing's open yet. The asparagus has gone to flower and it's too late to harvest it (oops). The peas were planted only a couple of weeks ago and so they aren't up yet. The sweet alyssum is maybe 3/4 of an inch high, and only leaf.

Oh, and another thing, there are a half a dozen flowers on one of the grape vines! This is exciting mainly because the grape vines have been cultivated for four years and there hasn't been one flower or grape. Maybe this will be the year!