Spring garden

The gnomes have learned a new way to say hello!
Out front, the rosemary has been blooming for at least 2 months. Old Blush (China rose, 1789) was the first rose to bloom, followed by Katy Road Pink, Archduke Charles, and Maggie – though none are in full bloom yet. Tulips started blooming a few days ago and the delphiniums (old-fashion kind) will start blooming in a few days. Oxalis is blooming. Both mints are very strong, the oregano is doing well, and other bulbs and perennials are growing well. So are the weeds. The arbor over the front walk collapsed while we were out of town in December and it’s kind of propped up now as I gather energy to build the muy fabulosa new arbor of cedar, with a few inset apsaras from Cambodia. I anticipate using just a few screws.

In back, none of the roses are blooming, but the herbs look great: sage, oregano, marjoram, burnet, chervil, and the lemon grass is poking its first tender green leaves out of the brown clumps and there are clumps of garlic 1’-2’ tall in the garden and the yard. The onions are doing well, but I let the crawling creatures and drought get to some of the lettuce and chard. My buddy Aaron is bringing me some kind of heirloom tomatoes next week.

Since we've been home from Asia, we've had the backyard shed rebuilt and painted and the cottage out back (Kabañastan) cleaned and painted.

The clinic rocks on. In the first week of March 2008 we saw 50 patients, 5 of them new. In the first week of March 2009 we saw 98 patients, 32 of them new. Welcome to the recession - lots of tense, depressed people out there. Whew, I kind of committed to myself that I wouldn't write about current, political, related events in this journal. But it sure feels like a hard rain's gonna fall.