may-be it's spring

Whenever people talk about where we live (Canada, the prairies, or Winnipeg) they seem to act like we exist in a continual snowy steppe, a blur in blizzard. Here are some photos to say it ain't so.

This is one of our lilacs. Our yard is really overgrown, but when we arrived last July, we decided to wait the better part of the year before doing too much hacking and killing of the weedy bits. After all, we needed to figure out where the actual plants were. What we've found are some gargantuan lilacs, among other things. We've begun to discuss the hacking plans....and I've started dismantling the "crop circles."

Apparently a former owner of the house liked making little circles on the ground with stones or bricks-with no apparent order or design. Some of them surround trees or what used to be plantings. Whatever they are, they make mowing and walking across the yard a scary thing for toes...unless you look down, you're likely to hurt yourself! Each time I move some of these things, I feel as though I'm regaining more of a garden and less of a weird new-age spiritual ritual that I haven't quite grasped.

The professor and I bought some plants last weekend but were in no shape to put them in the ground. It was also a bit too cold to get started. This weekend, I spent several hours in the dirt, planting flowers, herbs, a tomato plant or two and other odds and ends. Mostly I put these in pots and containers, but I did a bit of digging and weeding in the ground, too.

Our ornamental crab apple tree is flowering--wow, it's a thing of beauty. I find it even more exciting because the apple tree grafts are taking. The professor and a friend/colleague decided to splice on some apple grafts in hopes that we'll grow a few apples in 3 years. We're planning ahead.

My third warp of curtains and rugs have finally come off the loom. I washed the curtain length of fabric. All the supplies for this were "reclaimed" so I wasn't entirely sure of the kind of fibers I was using. I discovered that even though the warp is cotton, and there's nylon tape in it, the wool sections were definitely wool and it felted. I still like how it came out but now have to rethink how I will cut it up to make curtains. It is distinctly smaller than it used to be--pre-felting.

When I finally took everything off the loom though, I remembered why it took me 2.5 months to finish it all. 5 rugs and several yards of fabric--it was a lot more work than I'd expected. The fourth warp (already in process) is for 2 or 3 scarves. Much easier to complete!

I'm also beginning to plan ahead for our busy summer. I've got some potential teaching lined up, some editing, and of course, lots of spinning, knitting and weaving in the sunshine. Also, we're expecting a lot of visitors. This week I am trying the "bake ahead" method. I'll make a whole bunch of stuff and put it in the freezer for later in the summer. This is the first loaf of whole wheat-the second loaf I made is going to a party at someone's house this evening. White bread, challah, cookies, cake....freezer, here we come!

(Also, the professor and I are getting better from the killer cold but it's been very slow.)
That's the news from here... What's going on over in your house and May garden?