If you travel west out of the Twin Cities on Highway 12 you quickly leave the urban life behind for farm fields and open spaces. We did just that yesterday morning – our destination was Swenson Gardens near Howard Lake. Celebrating Peony Days at Swenson’s was a true delight – to sight and smell alike. With fields of peonies in bloom, and a view of the horizon all around, we enjoyed learning about all the different varieties of peonies in so many colors that I’d never seen or known about. It was a wonderful place to explore and immerse yourself in the sights and smells of late spring.
spring
Rhubarb
We mark the transition into late spring and the beginning of summer when the rhubarb is ready for harvesting. Our reliable and wonderful old plant is from a cutting taken years ago from one of the family’s plants. As the ground starts to thaw in the spring the plant grows vigorously and quickly, spreading its large leaves all across the garden bed while its stalks take on a beautiful red hue. Today was harvest time as I pulled the stalks from the base. Before taking them into the kitchen I was drawn to them photographically — their lines and curves, textures and colors. Now that I’ve captured the intensity of their color, we can look forward to fresh rhubarb crisp.
White lilacs
We’re fortunate to have both purple and white lilacs surrounding our yard. With some recent rain and higher humidity levels the air has been heavy with the sweet smell of the lilacs. Knowing how short-lived their blossoms are, I cut some and brought into the house. This old pink hobnail glass pitcher that had been my mother’s seems the perfect vessel to hold them and let them release their fragrance throughout the house.
Participating in a Minnesota tradition
Yesterday was the Minnesota fishing opener – a tradition celebrated across the state. It’s the official opening of fishing for walleye and northern pike. The past few years we’ve joined in this celebration, and we had a grand time again this year. Here are my top five points about the fishing opener: (1) May is not summer yet in Minnesota; long underwear was required this year. (2) Prepare for lines at the boat landing; don’t fret, relax, and enjoy your fellow fishermen and women (everyone has stories to tell). (3) That new foraging minnow you bought the week before was a winner; the northern pike loved it! (4) Northern pike are fighters; you’ll know when they strike your line and that’s part of the fun of catching them. (5) A weekend of cabin-life, fishing, loons and eagles, and a campfire are a great cure for stress and the city life. (Plus, it was a good sign when we won the meat raffle at the bar where we had dinner on our drive up Friday night — we knew the weekend was going to be grand!)
Another sighting of spring
Spring has blossomed quickly in the Twin Cities. Leaves have budded and opened, the grass is green, tulips are in bloom, people are out and about working in their yards and soaking up the sunshine. We even have been serenaded by the returning sound of lawn mowers. I happened upon another spring sighting yesterday when I saw a mother duck with her nine ducklings at a small pond. As she sat on the shoreline, a couple of the ducklings ventured far and wide in the pond, darting right and then left, snapping up bugs wherever they found them. Their erratic behavior made them a photographic challenge, but I found myself smiling and enjoying their playfulness and energy.
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