Early summer is SO busy!! Everything needs to be done at once. The gardens, mowing, repairs, changing the equipment over from winter duty to summer. Why should I be surprised at our frantic efforts when all I have to do is look around me at the frantic nature of Mother Nature and remember that the old adage, ‘make hay while the sun shines’ is all about this season. It doesn’t help that the flying, blood sucking menace are working to make us as miserable as possible. My neck and ankles sport itchy polka dot bites of various sizes, black fly and mosquito.

On the other side, the happy side, it is time to get the bikes out and hit the trail. Yesterday, we took the afternoon off and biked the rail trail along the shore of Memphremagog. The wind was blowing hard, kicking up waves and making the grasses sing.

Pretty perfect afternoon.

This morning, C is at our local garage with the two small tractor tires. They keep going flat. The big tractor has an air leak in the fuel line, we think. It won’t start. The trees that are leaning over and need to be cut, still need to be cut. Gardens need weeding.

The bikes are still on the back of the car. So tempting. Now, where did I leave the DEET?

In this season of spring flowers and bright chartreuse leaves, one indoor plant of mine has been putting on an extraordinary show. My hibiscus tree has been blooming non stop since the beginning of April. Today, there were seven blossoms! If it weren’t covered in buds, I would have moved it outdoors already.

It’s time for all my plants to move outside. In a week or so, after the pollen settles, and the leaf canopy provides enough dappled shade to keep it from sunburn, I’ll put my tree on the deck and cut it back. I do this every year, not so much for shaping but to control its size. By fall, the tree will have filled in again but still fit in its winter home. It isn’t a small tree. It’s about 8 ft. tall and almost touching the ceiling.

Do you put your plants outdoors in the summer?

Braidsmaid by a Martina Behm

I have really been enjoying this knit. There is just enough detail to keep me interested and it is easy enough for evening TV watching. Best thing.. the reversible cable.