For
the second year in a row Francesco has missed the blooming of most of our
spring and early summer flowers, thanks to his need to be in Italy to give
exams at the university. Too bad as we might together be able to identify some
of the bushes and plants inherited from former tenants, species mostly unknown
to me, but still a joy to behold - promiscuous colors dotting borders and
peeping here and there from among the foliage. A thrill also is witnessing the
first buds and blooms on some of the plants we’ve added and to note the new
growth on things like wisteria, jasmine, grapes, and clematis vines we’ve
planted.
What
with the enormous amount of rainfall recently, grass and weeds are merrily
growing at a fast pace. Ours is a large property, too much for one person to
manage. For example, it has taken me the most part of three days just to mow
the lawns – and there is yet to do a huge amount of weed-whipping, trimming,
pruning, as well as never-ending weeding by hand of what seems miles of
shrubbery.
Alas
the rain has also encouraged a plague of mosquitoes that swarm aggressively and
sting like hell. In contrast to last year, when the region was suffering
drought, the earth is now moist and saturated – ideal conditions for the vicious
varmints that have left me covered in itchy red bumps. I have not suffered
mosquitoes like this since my high school days in swampy Delaware where the
joke is that the mosquitoes are so large they’re considered to be the official
State bird.
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