First crocuses

[pameladean]

Spring is always surprising in Minnesota, but seldom do I happen to look at my watch on both sides of an event.

At 12:10, I was out on the front porch with David and Lydy, checking to make sure his sister's birthday present had not been delivered to some strange location, or fallen off the porch. David noticed the vole tunnels in the newly-revealed lawn, and went to take some pictures of them. Since I was looking that direction anyway, I checked on the crocuses in the bed there. No flowers.

At 12:55, I took Aristophanes out for his walk, and in time he led me around the south side of the house to the front yard. He didn't like the look of it for some reason, but I glanced over at the crocuses again. They were blooming, a nice delicate bluish purple.

P.

Comments

[faithhopetricks.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow.

[pameladean]

I am so impressed that I am thinking of getting a paid account so I can upload the photo I took. This may be extreme, however.

P.

[faithhopetricks.livejournal.com]

There's always tinypic! http://tinypic.com/ I use it a lot.

[markiv1111.livejournal.com]

Crocuses? Shouldn't that be "croci"???

N.

[eub.livejournal.com]

Greek. Crocoi?

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

It's okay to say croci or krokoi if you're being ironic, but mostly you probably ought to say crocuses, or just use it as a singular/plural form like deer.

(I'm a classicist. I get shit from people for going back to Greek roots and appropriately pluralizing.)

[daedala.livejournal.com]

Croccoli!

[eub.livejournal.com]

Saffrassicaceous?

[faithhopetricks.livejournal.com]

Greek krokos, Latin crocus.

[pameladean]

Either is permitted, but I was talking about crocuses long before I had even heard of the Greek language, so as far as I'm concerned, they can have their plural in English.

P.

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's so cool.

[pameladean]

I've been sneaking up on the ones in the back yard periodically, but they must be onto me -- no blossoms. I may have to leave town to get them to bloom.

P.

[shweta-narayan.livejournal.com]

Hee! :)

[pameladean]

Right now, they are the best flowers ever.

P.

[vom-marlowe.livejournal.com]

I love that! I'd swear that my radishes grew an inch over night two weeks ago. It was so sudden, but not quite as sudden as your crocuses!

We finally have violets now. I love them so.

[pameladean]

Beans are very fast too.

I have seen perhaps two violet leaves; they won't be out here for several weeks. I love them too. We have huge numbers of Canada violets, sweet white violets, the little purple odorata, and some amazing freckly ones, densely powdered with violet on a white background. And once or twice a decade, the yellow ones bloom. Mostly I have to go to the woods for those, though.

P.

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

At times when spring feels particularly ephemeral I often think of your line from Tam Lin about being in the shower and missing it. :)

Vancouver's spring is very very long, though. :)

[pameladean]

I am jealous of Vancouver.

One of the blessings of climate change, though a minor one, is that spring has stretched out quite a bit since that quip was first made. I used to wonder if people used to say they were in the outhouse and missed it, but probably they didn't.

P.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

<3!

[pameladean]

I know! I want to pet their little cheeks! A bit of fertilizer is probably a better idea, though.

P.

[magentamn.livejournal.com]

Wow!

Mine are still at the "little green shoots that may become crocuses" stage, but I guess I have to check frequently.

[pameladean]

These guys are right next to a sidewalk, and I think the sun's heating the concrete up was probably what made them pop out. Still they are all a bit tricksy, crocuses.

P.

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

I LOVE this!

My irises are just finishing up.

[pameladean]

Mine are poking their little points out and thinking the matter over.

P.

[clindau.livejournal.com]

My irises are doing this too. Lots of pondering. The silly lilies along the garage have poked their noses out and gotten nipped from the last snowfall. They are always the first to come up though--that side of the garage faces south and gets lots of water from snowmelt off the roof. Still, they are silly.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Wow. I had no idea they bloomed so quickly.

I was pleased to see the first of mine on Thursday. Of course, that meant it had to snow on Friday.

[pameladean]

I don't think they usually do. These are snow crocuses, though, and are used to seizing the day, I suspect.

P.

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Eeee! Mine are all done, but the earlier daffodils are looking lovely and tulips are starting up nicely.

[pameladean]

I have about two inches of daffodil leaf easing stealthily up.

P.

[aedifica]

If I remember correctly that Aristophanes is a cat, then I'm not the only one who takes a cat for a walk! I took Oliver out today for the first time this year. He wears a harness and a leash; he doesn't like them, but he seems to be willing to accept them as the price he pays for being outdoors. (He's the only one of our cats who gets walks, because he's the only one who really seems to mind being an indoor cat.)

(The crocuses are exciting! but I got distracted by cat-walking.)

[pameladean]

Yes, Aristophanes is a cat, and I've been taking him outside on a leash (with harness -- I even found one that fastens on TOP of the cat, not UNDERNEATH) since 1995. In good weather I give him at least half an hour a day. He got restive this year before the last thaw, so I took him out, and we had a number of very short tours of the apron of concrete just outside the back door, the woodpile, and the thin stretch of ground just under the windows on the east end of the house. Today was the first day we've been out for our whole half-hour -- during the last thaw, things were too wet for his taste except in the aforementioned areas.

He used to climb trees on his leash, but the neighbor cut the best one down.

I am pleased to hear that Oliver enjoys his outings. Ari is used to the harness by this time, and we have a spoken ritual so he knows what I'm going to do next. The moment I click the second strap in place, he's pawing at the door so I'll open it.

P.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

Those are some fast crocuses.

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

Caught in the act! That is very cool.

I think / hope I found a colony of seedling marjoram today. On the other hand, it might be perilla.

[pameladean]

Perilla looks very pretty -- I had to look it up -- but since I hope it's marjoram. Marjoram has always been very standoffish with me.

P.

[careswen.livejournal.com]

Our indoor African violets made their first flowery appearance today. Hurrah Spring!

[pameladean]

Yes, they know indoors too. Raphael and I went to Como Park Conservatory on Sunday, and the palms were blooming like mad.

P.

[apostle-of-eris.livejournal.com]

(This may be a first. I don't know if I've ever simply replied)
LOL!

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

They forced themselves to hurry, just for you.