Springtime survivors

There are still some delphiniums blooming; they're few, but it's astonishing to see any. With all the rain that we've seen, the hyacinth beans are keeping one step ahead of the grasshoppers. Lettuce has reseeded itself and is flourishing. We're enjoying a morning glory or two most mornings. Milkweed in pots never quits, and I'm seeing butterfly eggs of some short on them and on many other plants. Fennel is rebounding. Tomato plants, chile plants, and nasturtiums are blooming again. What we've enjoyed most is the cutback on lawn din. Back when people did their own mowing, it occurred much less frequently, and edging was less frequent still, so even use of power mowers and blowers was on a much smaller scale than torments us today. Let us be thankful for the rains.