The calendar says May but ………
the last couple of days I’ve had my heat on in the house. Frost warnings were issued for the eastern part of the state last weekend, unheard of in Alabama for the month of May. Looking at some of my flower pictures from last year, iris and peony are blooming two to three weeks behind previous years. Farmers are three to four weeks behind planting corn and cotton. Wilson Dam is spilling water until further notice. A TVA statistical website giving the amount of cubic feet of water per second going through the spillways is found at this link. One cubic foot = 7.48051948 gallons. The shore birds migrating through the area have enjoyed the flooded fields. I saw a pair of Solitary Sandpipers in a flood low spot in the corn field across the road having a great time eating earthworms trying to escape the flood.
We’ve had around four inches of rain this month. This weekend, I volunteered as a photographer for 150th anniversary of the burning of Lagrange College near Leighton. Rain was predicted all weekend, but the rain didn’t show up after Friday’s programs and stopped just as Saturday’s program started and stayed sunny the rest of the day until after the event when rain returned.
I’ve planted my corn twice each time just before a two inch rain. Maybe the third time will be the charm. Mice ate three fourths of my cucumber seeds in the greenhouse and those I planted with the second planting of corn haven’t made an appearance. The ground just squishes when you walk across it. I had the flu during a nice warm spell in March. Since then it’s been either cold or rainy. My flower beds look like they belong in a nature preserve.
Through the weeds, I have some of my iris that I bought last year blooming and I share those plus a couple of oldies and garden sign from Custom Engraved Stones when I open my iris and daylily nursery. Check out my GRIT magazine post to see why I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been doing a lot of volunteer photography around Colbert County.
Rosedale Gardens 
Loved the pictures of your iris. You have several that I have never seen. Very pretty! Also loved the pictures of the dam.
Thanks Cathy. Great to have met you at Phillips and Scott’s garden. It’s amazing some of the connections folks have I’m still going through those pictures (over 1500) and will do a post on each garden.
Love your irises! They’re my favorite spring flowers. :0)
thank you very much.