Yesterday was the day, finally, to get outside, put on the gloves and start cleaning out the flower beds and waking them up from their winter nap. It felt so good to have one’s hands in the dirt again, to breath the fresh air, to feel the warm sun on my face.  We cleaned up a mess of old leaves and old growth and every time we unearthed another little plant with it’s new growth struggling upward, it was a joy. It looks like most of the bleeding hearts survived wonderfully, the oriental lilies seem to be coming back strong, and my precious blue delphinium and orange poppies and pink hollyhock are all showing good signs of having wintered over well. But nothing is growing as well as the two clumps of bachelor buttons we transplanted from H’s family land in Lutsen. They have spawned a million little babies all over the place. And the climbing roses even have new leaves popping out all over!

Admittedly, the beds look a little bare today compared to what they have been looking like, but it’s an improvement. We even went out to our favorite garden store, Otten Bros. in Long Lake, and I bought a heliotrope (I like to get one every year but they are not perennial in Minnesota). And we bought a Victoria Red rhubarb plant. I miss the rhubarb I had at 21st Avenue and am looking forward to once again (in a year or two) making rhubarb cobblers and pies.

Of course, I am keenly aware of just how out of shape I am. There are parts of me aching this morning that I had completely forgotten about. I guess that’s what six months of staying inside will do for you. Who am I kidding? That’s what six months of not doing much of anything will do for you. Oh, well, even the ache feels kinda good today. It means we aren’t confined to the house anymore.  On Saturday we have a long-planned trip to Decorah, Iowa to buy our transplant seedlings of heirloom tomatoes and peppers from Seed Savers, a company we like to patronize.  They do such important work.  I can hardly wait!