May is usually my favorite month but this year it was cold and rainy. But this past week we have been spoiled with a nice stretch of good weather – sunny, low 20’s (70’s F), refreshing south breezes and no humidity. I wish it would stay like this but soon we will be complaining about it being too hot.
It’s always nice to see the grass greening and sprinkled with violets, even if it is also laced with creeping charlie. Some people are doing the No Mow May which is nice for the bees, but apparently stresses the lawn mowers, the people pushing the lawn mowers and the grass. We’ve had so much rain my neighbour has a meadow in his back yard – time to bring in some goats!
I was sure this new lilac tree was dead last summer, but it leafed out again, and even managed a few blooms.
But the bush beside it is covered, and look at the growth on the climbing rose bush behind it. These lilacs will bloom again in August, but never as many.
I often wonder what happens to the rest of the tulips in the bunch, leaving this poor guy all alone?
This guy is alone too, as I did not have any luck at the horticultural plant sale in finding a female gooseberry bush, so no berries for me this year.
These purple and yellow iris were donated transplants from last year. I was surprised how tall they grew.
I found one yellow iris tucked away under a rose bush. They say every garden should have a touch of yellow in it,
…and every neighbourhood should have a yellow car. I saw this impressive model when I was out for a walk. It was certainly eye-catching as you hardly ever see a yellow convertible.
These belong to a neighbour too…..if I ever see anyone from that house I’ll be sure to ask what they are.
The lily of the valley came and went quickly, but the scent was wonderful while it lasted.
This giant fuchsia clematis always blooms earlier than the rest.
The purple salvia is prolific this year….and the pink roses are just starting to bloom…..stay tune for June.
I bought 17 books for $17 at the annual May book sale – including a gilt edged collection of Jane Austen, and a few childhood favorites, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, The Diary of Anne Frank, and one of the Borrowers series, a children’s fantasy series, which I last read when I was nine. (The Borrowers – Wikipedia)
But my favorite is this collection of James Herriot stories from All Creatures Great and Small. I watch the PBS mini series, which is into Season 7 now but have never read any of his books.
I found this white wicker rocker at a thrift store for $15 – a coat of spray paint and a cushion and it’s like new again. I wish I could find a matching one, but the town wide garage sales are coming up. How delightful to be able to sit outside and read again after such a long cold rainy spring. Enjoy the season while it lasts!
thehomeplaceweb 
Joni, it is nice to catch up with you again! I started following you after I checked out some of old blogs and your website came up. Our salvia is doing very well in Florida. I like your many books. We are trying to pare down but I don’t think I can easily wean the husband from Stephen Coonts, Brad Thor, Frederick Forsyth. I like my kindle!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for reading….and for following me when I’ve been neglecting my blog for the past year. I just don’t seem motivated lately….I’d rather read! I find more people are into Kindles ond especially Audio Books lately, including half my bookclub, but me I’d rather hold a book in my hand. I find the screen tiring for my eyes at the end of the day plus I get too much screen time already, and the audio books are just too distracting when you’re doing something else. It’s really hard to pare down books….
LikeLiked by 1 person
I understand. I just had a novel published “Quest for Absence” on Amazon and kindle. I would like to have an audiobook made but still researching how to do this. I like space, but we still have a couple of hundred book in our home. It is a lot but I also know that it gives comfort and a sense of stability and completion to our home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for listening, Joni. I love the support from great readers like you. It is so appreciated. I try to pass it on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A great post, Joni. I love seeing all the flowers. I think your neighbors bush might be some type of peony. The yellow convertible reminded me of one my dad had when I was a little girl. I don’t remember what kind of car it was, but I know it wasn’t a t-bird. I have 3 James Herriot books that I keep on my bookshelf. They are my go-to when I need some light, feel-good reading. He is one of my favorites!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Ruth. I knew it wasn’t a tulip, as it’s too late for those. My peonies are just in the bud stage. I never see anyone home at that house otherwise I would ask. Do you watch the Detroit PBS mini-series of ACG&Small Ruth? It’s on Sunday nights in January, for 8 episodes. Both Linda and I watch it – it’s good, although I think some of the actors are miscast, as in too old or too young for the roles.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No i haven’t seen the mini-series (yet).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Joni, your flowers look wonderful (as do the neighbors). I can almost smell the Lily of the Valley. My father planted Tulips the first year we moved to the States. He decided to order some bulbs from Holland, figuring they’d be around for a while. In the Spring he was doing yardwork and found gnawed-on bulbs all over the yard, but the squirrels missed one bulb out of all those he planted. That Tulip was planted under a tree and it came up for years, all by itself. He never ordered more bulbs after that debacle.
You got quite a haul at the used book store. I did not know James Herriott had a “best of” book of his stories. Like you, I’m watching the series and I can’t recall any stories from the books. I know I read all but one of his books, reading them as they came out, but the one I have not read is still here at the house. I don’t remember the title off the top of my head, but it would have been one of the later ones. I liked John Grisham’s “A Time for Mercy” and his Jake Brigance character so I bought “Sycamore Row” the second in the series and am enjoying it very much. I wish I had a nice wicker chair and cushion to sit and read my books – I park myself on the kitchen chair because if I read in bed, I’ll fall asleep, no matter how good the book is. That happened even when I was much younger!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The James Herriott book was published in 1982, so it would have been around the time of the first British series which was so popular. I know I read Sycamore Row, but after awhile all his books blend in together! The wicker chair is for the front porch. I’m really enjoying reading outside – did for an hour tonight after supper in the shade while it’s light so much later now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I see, published as a kickoff to the British series maybe? “Sycamore Row” was the guy (Seth) who committed suicide (by hanging) and left 90% of his estate to his Black housekeeper with a will written the day he died, cancelling the old will that left his estate to his children and grandchildren so they contested it. I think I only read Grisham’s earliest books – everyone at our Firm was reading them at the time and/or watching “L.A. Law” and “Boston Legal” to discuss them (like we didn’t get enough law on an everyday basis). I’m envious of you reading outside. I don’t enjoy sitting outside anymore – bugs, mostly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No bugs this time of year here….although I’m sure mosquito season is coming.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When we get this heat wave next week and rain almost every day, (starting tonight), it’ll be the kickoff … standing water, mosquito eggs – just great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yea, I’m not looking forward to it. I had to put the A/C on yesterday, and it will probably stay on now, as there will be a heat wave next week….I will reply to your email on the weekend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me neither Joni. We will have 90s on Thursday and Friday and storms most days next week. I think I still owe you a reply as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
PS. I know the squirrels dig them up, but why do they leave the odd one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We always wondered the same thing Joni! Was that bulb buried deeper than the others? Another story is the neighbors across the street from us owned the first house on the block. She was an avid gardener and had Spring perennials in her front/side gardens and was very proud of them. She had a lot of angst one year when kids picked all her Tulips at the side of the house just by walking up the driveway – she called my mom upset about the hoodlums. Her backyard had perennials all Summer long, some planted decades before. They both passed away in 2010 and the kids cleared out the house and put it up for sale. Someone bought it and used a rototiller and plowed up everything in the front/side gardens including shrubs, then put in grass, but missed one Daffodil in the corner by the porch. Every year this one Daffodil blooms and I think of the Elmores and I even wrote about its tenacity in a post once. The side of the house had no bulbs that survived the rototiller.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our spring season has come in fits and starts this year, Joni. I thought the dog days of summer arrived early – in mid-May – but June has been downright pleasant so far (though that’s about to change). One of the pleasures of the South is how the grass, flowers, and just about every other “growee” come back to life with a little heat and moisture. It lends to the saying “you can watch the grass grow”. I fully understand your comments about mowing since that is my duty around here. The grass grows to a certain height and I get this uncomfortable feeling – every ten days or so – as if it’s saying, “mow me now or suffer the consequences!”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Abundant spring flowers! Lovely. Your neighbor’s bright pink ones seem to be a type of peony, but not with the usual dense petals.
Excellent scores in books and rocker. I read all the Herriot books in my youth. I love the TV series.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Eilene. Ruth thought it was a peony too. I don’t know my plants well. I do love a good book sale….and I’ve always wanted a white wicker rocker so I did luck out in May.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It has been a pleasant spring in my area too, so I will join in your enjoyment! Ugh, those wild violets in the lawn seem to be the only flowers I have any luck growing – mainly because they seem to be almost impossible to kill.
And you make a great point on how rare yellow convertibles are any more. Yellow cars were fairly common for a long time, but then just kind of disappeared. But then again, almost all colors have on new cars, leaving us with the spectrum full of black, white and grays.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I see yellow cars, but it’s that bright flashy neony yellow. I don’t know who the car belonged to, a visitor, but my neighbour said it was an older lady, so good for her for having good taste!
As you are into reading the classics JP, have you ever read Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities? I haven’t read much Dickens, but I remember that one as being very enjoyable with respect to plot and storyline, but Dickens tends to be too wordy for many people.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think ATOTC will eventually be on my list. I remember trying to read it over Christmas break as a high school freshman. I put off starting it, then tried to binge-read it. It was an unfortunate episode, and I might actually enjoy it at my own time and pace.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember it having a particularly good ending….but nothing other than it was about the French Revolution. I watched The Count of Monte Cristo on PBS Masterpiece miniseries recently and enjoyed it, although there were a lot of characters to keep track of…..so I ordered the book from the library. It’s 1179 pages….of very small print….which is pretty amazing for a book published in 1846, but apparently it was serialized at the time, like Dickens did with his books. It might be an August project.
LikeLiked by 1 person
PS. I dread new car shopping for that reason…..I want something in British racing silvery-blue. I see the odd car in that color, but nothing recent.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, don’t get me started on the lack of choice in new car colors (if you want something other than black, white or gray).
LikeLiked by 1 person
I enjoyed seeing your garden. The wicker chair project turned out topnotch. It’s nice to be out after the rain, and you can sit in the chair and read a new book. ♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I’m loving it! Such lovely weather we have been having finally!
LikeLike