Next Season
It seems spring is coming to the garden. It might be a tad early. It’s only February. But the bulbs are popping up, the Coral Sage is sprouting, and the grass is green. If I had been a more diligent steward I might have noted these changes through the years, then I could speak with confidence of the early or lateness of things. Unfortunately, all I can do now is speak in generalities.
I used to believe the budding of the Pecan trees was the true measure of spring, but I’m not sure that’s the case anymore. If this is the end of winter, it seems as though we hardly had one. There was no cold to speak of and little rain, all we can do now is hope for a wet spring. Although in some sense it doesn’t matter because mostly, I’ve planted native plants which means they’re acclimated to the vagaries of Texas weather.
Still, rain is always nice, the lakes and rivers could use the water, and it helps keep things cool and forestall the coming of summer, which I use to savor as a kid and now nearly dread as an adult, especially an aging adult with faulty temperature controls. Luckily, I can still drive, and I know where the mountains are. Of course, my AC still works, and I know how to sit inside. But that’s a problem down the road, for now I’m going to try and enjoy the bulbs, the color, and the first blush of spring.