Neighborhood notes

Sunday, 5:09 pm

By Kate

Apr

29

2007

I’ve been clomping around the house in kind of an ugly mood today. Because it’s just so darned ugly outside. Cold, drizzly, gloomy. Bleh. And I was thinking that spring doesn’t seem to be unfurling the way it oughta. At least if we have to endure this string of cold, rainy, gloomy days—there should be lots of pretty plants and trees to gaze upon. So far, I have a flowering weeping cherry tree. It looks so forlorn, even though the blooms are pretty.

I was thinking that maybe this is another one of those anomaly type springs. I looked back at my April 28th post from last year which tells me that most of the trees are more or less on schedule. This year the crab apple trees and tulip trees bloomed much earlier, though. The crab apples are finished blooming and are already leafed out. The maple trees and willows are also leafing out. My lilac has started popping leaves, too. But the dogwood trees haven’t bloomed and don’t look as if they are even thinking about it yet. Neither have the daffodils nor tulips bloomed, nor have the rhododendrons or azaleas. But the forsythias are a riot of yellow, sparcely placed though they are.

Things just aren’t singing in harmony this year. Considering the weird winter, I guess I’m not surprised. And I’m still crossing my fingers over my brand new baby redbud trees. They’re supposed to be early spring bloomers, too, but they’re doing a great imitation of dead twigs. I’ve checked them over thoroughly and they are alive. The little branches are all still supple and green. But there are no telling bumps on the branches which herald the imminent emergence of something green or flowery. A couple of warm days might help, but we’re stuck in another cycle of mid-40s sunless weather. Spring is reluctant to let loose and howl.