When Lilacs Last In Dooryard Bloomed

When Lilacs Last in Dooryard Bloomed
And other Poems of Spring

I never got absorbed by the poems of Walt Whitman, finding the train of sound and thought a little too convoluted for me, but I admire him for the occasional turn of phrase that can stick in the mind for a life time. The title of his poem in memory of Abraham Lincoln is such a phrase, brought to attention every year at this time as the lilacs bloom and perfume the air with their sweet fragrance.

“Natures First Green is Gold” Robert Frost wrote. That too I remember every springtime as the trees gradually push the gold and green up the mountain sides around our farm. I can almost recite it by heart as I begin first pasture mowing on the tractor. Frost is a fellow I can get a handle on; I find his poems full of wit and intelligence. He was my mother’s favorite, I’m sure, and I am much like her.

Back in my younger days I use to drive around in an old red pick-up truck – a 1948 Ford – and painted on the side was ‘Tim Hulings – Poet, Gardener, Philosopher’. By those three avocations I’d still define myself. None of the three have ever brought me any monetary reward, but the music of words, the poetry of a garden in bloom and the satisfaction of a cohesive thought remain much more satisfying than the silent addition of the direct deposit from my ‘real’ job.

There is a wisteria vine out the bedroom window. It is an aggressive animal that spreads relentlessly. It takes constant pruning to keep it in bounds and for 51 ½ weeks of the year it is more work than it is worth. I have attached a picture to explain why the ½ week makes the rest of the year worthwhile.

Cherry Blossoms under a Cloudy Sky

Cherry Trees, Shadblow and Global Warming

Cherry Trees, Shadblow and Global Warming

My memory recalls winters of significantly colder temperatures than those of the past ten years or so. Scientific data and shrinking ice caps seems also to be an indication that the earth is warming. I suspect that the trend is real and will cause serious disruption through the later portion of my life and through the next 50 years. Changing of the status quo, by definition, always causes disruptions. Whether the sum total of benefits outweigh the disadvantages that an increase in world temperatures I cannot say. Whether creating more temperate regions nearer the poles will compensate for an increase in sea level and potentially larger deserts will be determined by others after my passing.

I suspect that global warming will be an issue to be dealt with for a long time to come, but it is preferable to the problem of its opposite: global chilling. The geologic record clearly indicates that the temperature of earth is not constant; fluxuation of earthly temperatures is more of a ‘normal’ than the belief that the recent past through which we’ve come is ‘normal’. The scary part though is that, unlike what has come before, all indications seem to suggest that this most recent warming trend is by our own doing.

Global warming seems to have temporarily subsided the last six or eight weeks. Spring seems to have had a difficult time breaking through this year, but perhaps it is not the spring that’s been late, but my perception. The cherry trees are now blooming. Every year, the first week in April the cherry trees bloom. Every year first week in April. Doesn’t matter whether the winter’s been harsh or mild. Doesn’t matter whether the spring is early or late. First week in April, the three Yoshina cherries that are planted in a row along the lane bloom.

Many years the April wind blows away the blossoms in a few short days. Even when there is no wind they don’t last long, no more than a week. The picture I’ve included for this entry shows the blooms as they are just opening and a bleak, gray sky as backdrop. It was taken last Friday morning. This evening – Sunday - the trees are full of flower along with the early apple tree that is next in line along the lane. It is my theory that the length of daylight is more a trigger for these non-fruiting cherries than the air or ground temperature.

One thing I have noticed though, is that with the popularity of the Bradford pear and other early blooming shrubs and trees, the poor shadblow is now almost completely overlooked. The shadblow is a small tree, native to this portion of Virginia, named because it is the first of trees of the natural woodland to bloom, at the same time as the shad are making their pilgrimage up the Virginia tidal rivers.

The shadblow is not a very pretty tree, sort of like a dogwood without the symmetrical form or the outstanding flowers, but because it is the first of the wild trees to bloom, it use to hold special significance. There is one across the small field directly opposite the kitchen window. It is blooming now, too, wearing its white flowers in sparse array. First week of April. I bet the shad are running.