No, not a diary about Abe. Or even Walt.
We broke the planet. I notice it more each spring. Or, rather, the time of year we used to call spring.
Lilacs are my favorite blooms. Always have been. On the farm we had a hedge all the way around the yard. Mmmmmm.
In my small part of the world lilacs used to bloom in late April and early May. Twenty years ago, when I was waitressing, we decorated the tables for Mother's Day with lilac sprigs. Mostly we had to do some searching to find some still fresh enough to use.
In three days it will be Mother's Day and my lilacs are only beginning to leaf out. Isn't there some old wisdom about planting cold weather veggies when lilac leaves are the size of squirrel ears? That's where they are now.
I grew up with the accepted dictum that tomatoes and cucumbers go out safely on Mother's Day. Last possible frost date. Now May 15 is now the recommended date.
It's staying cold longer into the season. My dad used to be able to do field work in late March. The other day my chiropractor told me that his neighbor got stuck in the field because the frost hadn't gone entirely out. Our April showers are coming in May.
In some ways I feel sorry for the climate change deniers. I spent many years hoping the next would be "normal." It was a sad realization that "normal" would be an anomaly.
We've lost a month off the top of the growing season.
Sigh. Just kind of a sad ramble that I seem to experience more often in our changing environment.