• flowers,  spring

    “B”eauty of spring, where art thou?

    Photo © Diane Weidenbenner To say that I’m anxious for spring is an understatement. The anticipation is enough to make me write Shakespearean blog titles. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of gal. If I can’t have two feet of snow, I’d really like to see flower buds and forsythia. Photo © Diane Weidenbenner In Indiana we have four seasons but they are not created equal.  The two summer months when it is 90 degrees and 150 percent humidity seem to last a lifetime. Fall is beautiful and is a satisfying three months, if it hasn’t been too dry. And lest you think that humidity means rain, it does not. It’s perfectly…

  • Indiana,  rose,  spring

    First flower bouquet

    If this season’s “preview” of flowers is any indication, it’s going to be a wonderful spring and summer around the Weidenbenner house. Our roses are off to a healthy, robust start. The reddish coral one that you see is from our Bernie Weidenbenner bush that he brought up to our house in 2010 in memory of my mom. The white blossom is from a rose bush that my mom purchased for us (it happens to be our largest bush at this point). The purple bud is from a bush that we purchased last year and the irises are from bulbs planted by the past owner of our house (pre-2005). Joe…

  • garden,  grief,  spring

    Blogging from A to Z: Early spring

    For many of us this winter (and now early spring), have been really odd seasons. Not much snow or precipitation. In early March the tulips, daffodils, magnolias, lilacs, hostas and other perennials were dusting off their mulch and popping up to greet the season. Wildlife were waking from their deep winter slumber to look for food and nesting possibilities. I saw a baby Pileated Woodpecker at our birdfeeder two weeks ago. Many of us feared that we would get a late snow or final frost that would maim the early budding plants. We’re still holding our breaths. A friend and I went for a drive to Rockville, Ind., and discovered…