Lots of things changing each day. The blueberries are blossoming and we will have to take the blossoms off for the second year so all the energy goes into root formation. Next year we get to eat them. We've waited three years for the asparagus and this year we'll be able to eat them. The spears are coming out of the ground. I planted a number of plants, shrubs, and trees. One of them is a peach and the pink blossoms are showing (photos next time). The new trees/shrubs:
Prinsepia,
Lingonberry
Honeyberry
Pawpaw
Persimmon
Cherries
Plum
Asian Pear
Pineapple Guava
I'm sure there is something I'm missing. We also planted a lot more native species this year: trees, shrubs, and smaller plants. Susan has been cutting up a storm and removing many of the blackberries- it's become a hobby for her. We'll keep a few bushes for eating, but there are so many thickets and dead canes around. We can even see more of the creek these days.
I've planted out potatoes, onions, radishes, beets, kale, and chard. Some of the strawberries are flowering and the
lovage (herb) is showing its beautiful colors.
Hummingbirds and vultures are back... plus a lot of songbirds. One of the turkeys has also reappeared. I saw a swallow on the way into town.
After laying the stone walkway last year there were stones left over, so I decided to lay a patio. The two cats watching me work are two of the new family members. The black one is Mr. Cat. He was a very wary stray that stayed a long ways away from us and then we slowly enticed it closer and closer to the house by putting out cat food. It was so skinny, but now he is healthy and loves sitting on our laps. The whitish cat is Stony Wabbit (long story- let's just say that he REALLY likes catnip). They are both outside cats.
I find it very interesting that I've taken to gardening so much. Part of it is that it is practical: we have this big piece of property and we can grow our own food. The other part is that it gets me outside a lot. There are so many things to notice: bugs, worms, birds, the color of a leaf in the morning dew, the call of a crow or jay, the sound of the creek, the chill of a spring wind... it is so easy to be present with nature. It is so easy to just let the work world melt away like a rainbow vanishing in the sky. It is far from the world of the Andes or Himalayas, the whitewater of the Colorado River, or the untouched snow slopes of the North Cascades. Yet there is a greater sense of being with the land and being more respectful of the planet. I feel my rootedness taking hold of me.
In closing, here is a writing from Aldo Leopold. His work was very influential in my younger days. As one of the "fathers' of the conservation movement he played a key role in creating an ethos of people AND nature. This is from his seminal work, The Sand County Almanac (p. 210)
We shall never achieve harmony with land any more than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations the important things is not to achieve, but to strive. It is only in mechanical enterprises that we can expect that early or complete fruition of effort which we call 'success'.
It is that time of year when cultures around the world celebrate life and the return of warmth by recognizing blossoms, (at least in the northern hemisphere). I know there are the cherry blossom festivals in Washington D.C. and Japan. But it seems to me that the beauty of the peach blossom is overlooked. This exquisite flower adorns our new peach tree. I've learned the lesson of paying a little more for a second year tree as it is a little further along in its life cycle and has offered us food for the eye, let alone the anticipation of a juicy peach. It brings to mind the idea that warm days and juicy peaches (and watermelons) are just around the corner. For a moment we need to take a deep breath and leave aside the big picture forest and dwell in the sanctity deep within the pollen heart of a peach blossom. 
