The beginning of May

Thanks, everyone, for the supportive comments about my fall on Monday. Yesterday I was pretty sore all along my left side, from my neck down to my knee. I felt like I had pulled some muscles, and I may very well have. I hit the ground hard! But today I feel much better. I'm still a little bit sore, and the bruise on my arm is pretty sensitive to the touch, but overall things are much improved.

Gregg is at the dermatologist's office having the small basal cell carcinoma on his forehead removed. I tried to get him to let me drive him, or at least go with him, but he insisted that it wasn't necessary. The nurses said it should be pretty quick and straightforward and he'll only be getting a small area of skin numbed. There were no restrictions on driving or anything else, so he told me to stay home and enjoy the day off. He suggested I might want to ride my bike, since the weather is so nice...ha ha ha! I think I'll let my bruises, scrapes, and pulled muscles finish healing first, thank you very much!

It is a beautiful day outside, though. Blue sky, cooler temperatures, and the magnolias and jasmine have burst into bloom. I knew the jasmine was starting to flower before I actually saw it, because of the sweet smell. We were returning from our nightly walk with the dogs and I caught the barest hint of jasmine in the air. Sure enough, the next morning when I went outside to check, the first tiny white flowers were beginning to open. I knew the magnolia trees in the neighborhood were about to bloom, too, because even after dark all the huge white flower buds are easy to see. It's amazing what all you can notice even after dark if you pay attention!

Here's one of the first blooms on a young magnolia tree in our yard. I went out just now (at midday) to take the picture. This is the only one within reach so far. It's about 2 feet above my head.

I pulled the branch down to get that second picture for you. These blooms are enormous--roughly the size of dinner plates. And oh! The smell is heavenly. It's a very soft lemon scent without a hint of the usual zest of citrus. It's reminds me of lemon mixed with cream and sugar. Lovely.

The perfume of a whole fence covered in Confederate Jasmine, on the other hand, is anything but subtle. It's strong and sweet and unmistakable. Every year this vine takes up more and more space on the fence around the backyard. It's a monster--but a very pretty one.

These are the kind of pictures I meant to share here on May Day (before my fall).  The month is off to a beautiful start here in my little part of the world.

The full moon of May

I was treated to the sight of a beautiful full moon rising in the east yesterday as I drove home from work. It was rising in the midst of a bank of blue-gray clouds, and was almost the color of champagne. Lovely. Some people call this the Full Flower Moon, which seems appropriate. There are flowers blooming everywhere in this part of SC right now.

In my evening walks around the neighborhood, the smells of summer are in the air. Magnolias are blooming, as are lilies, honeysuckle, roses, jasmine, and gardenias. One neighbor of ours has the most gorgeous rose garden, with huge old rose bushes sprawling and climbing everywhere. Another neighbor that I met recently has a huge vegetable garden. He is an old man that grows most of it to give away to food banks. He has over 100 tomato plants, rows upon rows of butterbeans, cucumbers, squash, watermelons, and several peach trees. It really puts my tiny little garden to shame!

I only planted 8 tomato plants this year, and gave the rest away. I wanted to keep my garden small so that I don't end up overwhelmed by July. My herbs are doing great. In fact, I will be harvesting lavender flowers later this week. My tea herbs are coming along very well. I already have extra basil and oregano to share, and the rosemary bush is getting really big.

I just love this time of year. This has also been a cool May so far, and my tomatoes are flowering like crazy! I always worry when the heat sets in too early because too much heat and humidity will cause tomatoes to fail to set fruit. We are having nights in the 50's, and days only in the high 70's...perfect tomato weather.

Today is cloudy and a light rain is falling. I hope it clears up before tonight so I can do a bit more full moon gazing. Happy Flower Moon!