SUMMER, WINTER, SUMMER,....

My Mom used to say that spring in NW Tennessee was that time of year when the weather alternated between summer/winter/summer/winter, until it finally decided to stick with summer. Last week, I was working out in the yard in shirt sleeves, loving the warm sunshine; today, I am freezing! Maybe the boys will get a fire started to knock the chill out of the house. Thankfully, our forecast calls for temperatures back up in the 60's by Saturday. (Of course, that's no guarantee that we won't be back in the 30's come next Monday!)

This slamming back-and-forth between summer and winter is messing with our heads. Literally. Everyone at my house is dealing with sinus congestion - partly allergies (the jewel weed is blooming) and partly from the flash weather/temperature changes. I don't like to be cold, but I wince when the heater turns on. A long sit in a mentholated steam room sounds like heaven right now!

On a more positive note, I LOVE walking around the yard each day and discovering new green things poking out of the ground. The day lilies and irises are pushing up long, green leaves. The daises and black-eyed-Susans are sprouting. The bare rose canes are swelling and stretching into life. The hydrangeas even have a few green shoots.

I am a woman who appreciates flowers and yard plants that take care of themselves, that come back year after year. You know, the kind that can't be killed. Sadly, my four o'clocks - a normally indestructible plant - did not survive last year. I believe it was a horse-induced fatality. Thankfully, Reuben has planted a new bed of them. These are particularly dear flowers because the seed for them came from Carol, a friend I won't get to see again this side of Glory. Each summer, the bright pink four o'clock blossoms give me a chance to feel like I'm back at Carol's, sitting on the porch sipping coffee. Makes the wait for Glory pass a little more sweetly. Every morning, I check for the first sign of four o'clocks pushing through the mud - nothing yet, but it's still a bit early.

My coneflower didn't make it either. Not that it wasn't a hardy plant...no, it succumbed to a human-induced death. Not naming any names, but one of my kids has strict instructions now to be more aware of the plant life around the house!

The plum tree is covered with blossoms, and the sweet-breath-of-spring, and the spice bush. Today, it's COLD outside...but warmer weather will soon be here to stay.