Rewards of Gardening

I feel like I should write an ode to tulips. While other flowers and shrubs and trees have succumbed to the freezing temperatures, the tulips have carried on as though it is no big deal to be frozen at night and then thawed out each day. I don't care if they behave like annuals, I'll plant them every fall just to get this kind of display in the spring, because at least for that first year, they are reliable. This is one of the orange tulips. And below is one of the pinkish-purple tulips still blooming.


I finally found the packages for my tulips and it turns out, ha ha, hmmm, that I should have expected this pinkish-purple color because it is exactly what is on the package. I apologize to the tulip and the tulip grower! But I won't apologize for not expecting this next color starting to bloom. Look, it's red! These will go well with the orange tulips, don't you think?
After looking at the packages, it appears that I should also expect some green and white striped tulips to come up someplace. I don't know if they will be in this bed or someplace else. Honestly, I don't remember where I planted them. I'm slipping in my record keeping!

But I did keep a record of when I planted the early vegetables (March 17th), and I labeled each row. I checked under the row cover this evening and found lettuce, radishes, spinach, onions and peas all sprouting. The beets did not make it, so I'll have to replant those. I'll do that this weekend when I thin out the lettuce.
I also need to figure out how I am going to keep these all covered so the rabbits don't eat everything. The onions are already bent over because they are hitting the cloth and can't grow taller. And once the peas get taller, I need to set it up somehow so that they can climb the trellis that the cover is draped over in the picture above, and still be covered. I know I have to do this because there is another bed in the garden where I also planted peas, but didn't cover them, and there is not ONE single pea plant in that bed. Not a single one. I can only assume that the rabbits ate them all.

And the rewards of gardening? Look below, I found an Easter egg. I can't believe this one wasn't found. Really, some of my nieces and nephews have been hunting eggs for years and have no excuse for not finding this one.

And then I found another egg! Those nieces and nephews are really slipping. You don't suppose it has anything to do with hunting for eggs when it was in the high 30's outside, do you? They were really hustling out there. But would either of these be a money egg?
The first one was all candy. Shoot...

But then, Jackpot! A money egg. $1.05.
See, gardening has its rewards! You always find something nice in the garden on a sunny evening. Maybe it is just a pretty orange tulip with the sun shining on it, or maybe it is a leftover Easter egg with money in it, but you'll always find some reward for your efforts in the garden.