End of April on the hill

The beautiful stuff outside is changing every single day. I can scarcely manage to see it all. Just feeling the sun and gazing at the array of greens (how many shades can there be?) is invigorating and exciting. This time of year is just so amazing and inspiring! It took a while to get the proofs completed for Under the Sun, and we still have a good week or two until the next deadline for The Essential Herbal comes up, so I am enjoying this time.
AND the Mount Joy Farmers Market opens on the third, AND the Landis Valley Herb Faire is the following week... so one gathers ones rosebuds while one may :-).
These tulips were planted by my mother. Every spring when they come up, they remind me of lipstick. I'm not a make-up-wearing kind of gal, but this particular color may one day change my mind about that. These bulbs have managed to escape the voracious appetites of the resident groundhogs (with whom I am currently doing battle, using fresh mountain mint and the essential oil of peppermint), unlike some of the daffodils, hyacinths, and the entire plants of the delphiniums. In the next shot you can make out the fence I've erected for this year's attempt to protect my berries from the blasted beasts.

Here you see the view from the deck, looking down over the valley, and the red soap and jewelry studio. You might be able to make out the posts from the new fence which houses the new baby pygmy goats that have made themselves at home, clinging to the craggy bank among the 20 or so (hopefully safe) rugosa rosebushes. At the very far left edge of the picture, there are trees blossoming in pink. They are the new hazelnut trees, and interspersed between them are the bayberry bushes. That is the path I walk to work with my sister on most days. Soon the hillsides surrounding those plants will be ablaze with poppies, echinacea, yarrow, and cornflowers, along with many other wildflowers whose names I can't remember right this minute.
The white lilac outside my bedroom window is in bloom, and the scent wafts into the room when the windows are open. It is a large bush, and the branches are covered with gorgeous, fragrant blossoms. Soon the vitex situated next to the lilac will bush out, but it will take a few months for the spectacular periwinkle flowers to form.

It's been a busy couple of weeks here, and you can tell by my lack of posts.
My friend Geri Burgert's son sent me "Flat Stanley", a cut-out character from a children's book, and Stan and I have been out having some fun adventures too. Maybe I'll post his travel story when it's done, although I must admit that my imagination is running wild. I have to keep reminding myself that this is for young children.
On another note, I received my copy of Marge Clark's new book - Essential Oils and Aromatics (available at Naturesgift.com). This is really a wonderful book for anyone who is interested in learning more about essential oils and responsible ways to use them for hearth, home, and health. Lots of information, a good number of recipes, and how-tos, all wrapped up in a gorgeous hard-bound book.
Off to enjoy some more spring!