April 2020

This April has beeen like no other I can remember. We have spent the month "sheltering in place" because of the coronavirus outbreak. Most businesses are closed, so there's no where to go if we wanted to. This April has also been incredibly beautiful.

In between rainstorms, the air has been clear (fewer vehicles on the road=less pollution emitted) and the sky has been bright. Flowers in my yard have bloomed profusely. Here are some pictures of things in my yard this April:

There's a gazebo behind these redbuds, but you can't see it. The willow oak behind it is one of my favorite trees:

I purchased these bluebells at a plant sale in Rocky Mount about a decade ago:

I brought the seeds of money plant from our house in Roanoke in 1999. It blooms in various locations around the property here:

The redbud by the bottom driveway grew from seeds the birds had planted. Same for the mulberry at right and the poplar tree behind the redbud:

The azalea near the patio was here when we bought the place in 1999. It has grown huge since then:

I bought a small sweet shrub a few years ago. I didn't think it would live, but it did:

I planted these tulips a half-dozen years ago:

The white dogwood in the font yard was here before we were:

So has the pink dogwood in the side yard:

Ditto for the spirea:

Another redbud:

The peach tree I planted near the mailbox about 15 yars ago already has little peaches:

 Jim-Bob, one of the working cats, guards the property line:

This azalea was here before we were. The green garden bench beside belonged to my grandmother. Maggie the border collie has been here nearly 15 years:

I doubt that Maggie will be here net April. Given the current state of the country, I wonder if any of us will be.

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