Fertilizer Friday

After many delays (some real and some imagined) I'm ready to re- join in Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday's again this year. Despite horrendous winds that caused a lot of damage the past few weeks and the always-at-the-end-of-the-season late freeze, signs of spring are abounding in my yard. So many things are coming up, it was hard to narrow it down. Don't you love that feeling?

The winds trashed my awesome Tulips and Daffodils, but the late-blooming ones are saving the day and keeping things cheerful. The fruit trees are starting to blossom, the other trees are getting their leaves, and even my baby Magnolia is showing good signs of life.

Trashed tulips, still bravely adding color to the yard:

Late bloomers: shouldn't every garden have some?

Another cluster of late bloomers, because I think they're so pretty!

The Maple tree has some gorgeous little leaves. I'm hoping since we got rid of the evergreen that was wrapped around this tree when we moved in, that this little guy will thrive this year. Someone had to go, so I picked the evergreen.

The Magnolia I planted last year survived the winter (yippee!) and seems to have survived the winds...looks like some flowers might be on the way. (The wind tore the first batch right off the tree.) :

Finally, the Apple tree has a two sections with blossoms already!

Now, if I can just figure out how to keep the dog and birds from getting to the apples before I do!

So, there you have it...my enthusiastic entry for Fertilizer Friday. How could I not be cheerful when I see all this new life around me. It is inspiring, I tell you! So, visit the other gardens and share in the joy that is spring. It will definitely put a smile on your face!

Late Bloomer?

Have you ever used or heard the phrase "she/he's just a late bloomer"? Have you ever really thought about where it came from and why so many people view that negatively? I have...maybe because I was a late bloomer and, so far, my oldest child has been a late bloomer. We have a one-size fits all society these days and there doesn't seem to be any room for diversity of any kind. How is it possible that we expect all children to be at the same developmental milestones at the same time and if they aren't, we label them "late". Are they really late? Maybe they're just right for them? Why is there so much pressure to be done with so much of life by the time we're 18, 20, 30, or 45...why aren't we just living life to the fullest, regardless of the years we've been here.

I really thought a lot about the concept of late bloomers when I started flowers from seeds. I planted them all the same day and put them all in the same window. I watered them all at the same time and, yet, some grew faster than others. Look at these Zinnias? One is so sturdy and strong and the other one is still little. Did I discard or dismiss the late bloomers as not good enough or behind? Of course not. When it came time to transplant my seedlings this weekend, the littler plant had "caught" up and was ready for transplanting, too.

Why are we so quick to label our children and ourselves? Honestly, I don't have any answers...I just know that in our house, we don't talk much about when we should reach milestone A or marker B...we just work towards individual goals. My kids will mature as they mature, just as I am doing...I can't rush it or slow it down. It is not a good thing or a bad thing...it just is.

What do you think?