May 2020 – Flowers to be Planted, Spring is Here, Life Goes On

May 31 2020
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May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was – I guess I “adapted” to the pace of quarantine. Disinfecting my entire day job became thoughtless habit, avoiding people at the store became second nature (not that it wasn’t already for this introvert…) and emotionally freaking out about the craziness became impossible to keep up. Saying we “got used” to living in a world in the midst of a global pandemic sounds insane but bills still needed to be paid. Gardens still needed to be planted. Life still deserved to be lived. Life does always, somehow, keep going on.

Eventually my brain shifted from, “OMG what’s going to happen tomorrow?!??!??!?” to, “… I’m going to get another coat of poly done on that bathroom floor this week …”

Knowing we’re doing all we can eventually just had to be enough *I say as I wash my hands for the 30th time today…*

May 2020 shifted for Lodi and I to spring and plans and future ideas and quiet nights enjoying doing a little bit of nothing together. (Which I think is the very best way to end an evening and to call it “doing nothing” seems just absurd.)

May brought some really lovely spring weather following an also lovely April. I had thought it would mean planting the gardens earlier but then it snowed!

My Mom finished her chemotherapy in late April with the appointments made in mid May 2020 for testing. She rented a cute little house down there for the whole of it and she and I went down together to get it set up and for her first two days of testing and appointments.

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here burst into life spring photo gallery

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here bleeding heart spring photo gallery

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here bleeding heart spring photo gallery

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here bleeding heart spring photo gallery

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here bleeding heart spring photo gallery

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here bleeding heart spring photo gallery

I was REALLY relieved I was able to go with my Mom at all. They still allowed one visitor per person, they took our temps, gave us masks and sent us on in.

The VRBO house she rented was just such a good idea on her part!

It was half the cost of a hotel room and, despite the reason we were there, we did some sun bathing and enjoyed the private backyard. (Following that she’s staying down there for five weeks of radiation and only returning on the weekends.)

Mom and I have a love for flowers, plants and green houses.

Every year its our spring tradition to buy annual flowers to fill up all of our planters. One weekend we were able to scratch out a bit of time to plant Mom’s annual flower bed and Lodi and I filled up our deck planters and pots too.

(I couldn’t help but snap some pictures of her incredible Bleeding Hearts for this blog post – they come back every year and every year they are just stunning!)

Its amazing what flowers and sunshine will do to a person’s emotional well being!

My next post will go into a lot more detail about all of our gardens and plantings as this was just the tip of the ice berg lol. We still have to plant our vegetable garden, new asparagus bed and clean out the big L shaped flower garden. Not to mention we need to add more mulch along the house and a few other things too.

I’m sure I’ll be puttering away at all of that throughout June!

The hummingbirds returned like they do every year and I think I finally managed to get the feeders out right when they got here!

A black bear in the neighborhood took out everyone’s suet and bird feeders so our poor birds and little critters just had to suffer without for a few days before we dared put out (what was left of) our feeders again.

Pictures sent over from a neighbor showed a very content bear in my Mom’s yard, eating sunflower seeds, scratching, yawning, napping, rolling and just over all having a nice time.

Last year my mom had a black bear into her bird feeders just about every night for a few weeks. (It wouldn’t surprise me at all if its the same bear.) She kind of enjoyed watching his happy rolliness out front for hours. But, one night, he decided to push it a little far and go up on her deck.

My little mom stuck her head out the door and scolded him, “Not on the deck!” He never tried to go up on her deck again (as far as she knew anyway…)

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here burst into life spring photo gallery

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here bleeding heart spring photo gallery

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here bleeding heart spring photo gallery

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here bleeding heart spring photo gallery

As usual, after gorging, he’ll probably leave the area until next spring.

What really surprised me is that he didn’t even bother with our hummingbird feeders … maybe sweets just aren’t what he’s looking for right now. When a bear wakes up hungry I guess its not surprising he headed for the suet to get as much fat as he can.

Lodi and I have gone through growing pains in our own ways during a national health crisis, moving in together and a whole butt load of everything else. I think we made it lol we haven’t killed each other!

As far as MN goes May 2020 will be the end of most of the forced shut down on a lot of our businesses. A lot of small businesses were allowed to open on May 18th and then June 1st will be restaurants, hair dressers and bars. (Though places like movie theaters, big events/crowded spaces etc. will still be closed.)

Of course, the businesses that will be opening are with major restrictions. We all know that if we ever do see “normal” again than it is a VERY long way away. Every single event I know of that goes on around here has already been canceled for 2020.

I will admit that I’m just a TINY bit relieved to know a quieter summer is coming for us. Living in a place with such severe winters pretty much guarantees running ourselves ragged every summer. (I remember looking at my calendar a couple of years ago and seeing every single weekend for over thirteen weeks straight, packed to the max, and thinking, “I need to learn to say NO!”)

With what’s been going on in the world (not just May 2020 but over the last few months) and with everything that’s going on with my mom and the HUGE changes in my own life… I’m already really tired.

To have a “forced” quieter summer for Lodi and I – I don’t think is such a bad thing, In fact, I’m rather looking forward to it.

Lodi decided to light up the chimenea one night and OMG my view looked like flames were shooting out of the barn, CRAZY!

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here bleeding heart spring photo gallery

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here bleeding heart spring photo gallery

May 2020 was a far less freaky month for me than April was - I guess I adapted to the pace of quarantine. The farm here bleeding heart spring photo gallery

Comments

  1. May 31, 2020 at 7:40 am

    I am glad you were able to go with your mom and I say that you deserve a slower life pace and enjoy the time with Lodi.

    • June 1, 2020 at 8:18 am

      Thanks Carol, hope you had a great weekend!

  2. May 31, 2020 at 9:40 am

    OMG! Those flowers are gorgeous!

    • June 1, 2020 at 8:19 am

      Right?! I love those bleeding hearts!

  3. May 31, 2020 at 9:52 am

    It’s great that you were able to spend some time with your mom! I hope she continues to do well. I think it’s great to that you’re having some time to relax at the end of the day so I wouldn’t call it do nothing personally! I try to watch the news as little as possible the last several weeks it’s much less stressful. With the CDC constantly changing its mind about wipe everything down and then you don’t need to wipe things down, the tests are only 50% accurate anyway. So who knows what the real stats are? If the tests are 50% accurate the stats are either much lower or much much higher. Then the blood tests are inaccurate either? Who knows I’m just moving forward. We use our stimulus money to help with some projects around the house and some of my downtime as well. A certain level I’m just trying to ignore it other than wearing masks out in public. People survived much worse than this.

    • June 1, 2020 at 8:28 am

      Hi Nancy, yep I’m right there with you with skipping the news now. Its not always easy but stressing out about something that’s out of our control really is just silly. We’re wearing masks out and staying in as often as possible – focusing on us and our projects again. It feels good to just set the world aside and focus on our little world instead again like I’m supposed to. Hope you had a great weekend, thanks, as always for coming by and commenting Nancy!

  4. May 31, 2020 at 10:37 am

    Hello Tarah! Lovely to see your mum’s lovely flowers, and good to hear she is coping and doing well. Over here (Dorset UK) we have been more than blessed. From the very start of our lockdown the weather has been glorious with only three grey days since the beginning of April. We’ve had lunch in the garden, read books in the garden, watched the birds in the garden, and, well, just about everything we can do, we do. Enjoy your summer, and have fun whatever you do. Wishing you the weather you want!!

    • June 1, 2020 at 8:26 am

      Thank you so much Susan! I think this weather has truly been a blessing for everyone. Lockdown was tough enough without also being able to go outside! Love to here you having lunch in your garden. Our weather really turned for us so we’ll be doing the same!

  5. Toni (in Niagara)
    May 31, 2020 at 4:00 pm

    Wow – such beautiful flowers! I’ve never seen red bleeding hearts, only pink ones.
    Wishing you and your family all the best for a peaceful, lovely summer!

  6. Vickie
    May 31, 2020 at 5:34 pm

    I love reading your blog. I will pray for your mom!!

  7. Sandra D' Camp
    June 1, 2020 at 4:48 am

    I really enjoyed reading about your adventures. You seem to stay positive no matter what’s going on :>} I want to send your mom a big’ ole Georgia hug! What a smart idea to rent a little place instead of a hotel room. I’m sure she’ll be much more relaxed and it’s a lot more private. She will be in my prayers as she faces the coming weeks. You’re so right about spring flowers, mine boost my spirit every time I come into my garden.:>}
    I’m happy for you that you have a partner now, it’s nice to share life with someone,yes?
    Sandra

    • June 1, 2020 at 8:25 am

      I will send that hug along Sandra, thank you! Spring flowers really give us such a boost and sharing all that is spring here in MN with Lodi is truly wonderful. Thanks so much for coming by, I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

  8. June 1, 2020 at 10:31 am

    I love those bleeding hearts! I have one that is looking a little sad on my patio. I’m hoping it comes back to life soon. So glad things are settling down for you and your fam!

    • June 1, 2020 at 10:39 am

      Thanks Ann! I’ve never been able to get a bleeding heart to survive so I live vicariously through my mom!

  9. Jeannette
    June 1, 2020 at 1:51 pm

    I so want a bleeding heart!! I’m very happy for you and your mom – sounds like a happy time for you right now personally and you deserve it! Thanks for your blog – I do enjoy it. Oh and that fire pic is crazy!!

    • June 1, 2020 at 2:30 pm

      Thank you Jeannette, I hope you had a great weekend!

  10. June 20, 2020 at 3:19 pm

    So glad that you were able to go with your Mom. I hope that she is doing well. It sounds like you have come to grips with the world as it now is. Sometimes we just have to roll with the punches no matter what the punches are. I’m with you on a bit of a slower pace. I’m not sure why we think that we have to go so much all of the time.

    • June 22, 2020 at 9:02 am

      I totally agree Amy, its tough not to feel like we need to be running and doing all of the time. Kinda nice to know that we won’t be able to so much this summer. Have a great week!

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