A tree probably killed in a previous tornado. These abound throughout Oklahoma. Two days after the storm, I feel like I can write without crying. First, for those of you who don't use Twitter or Facebook, we are fine. The entire extended family is great, and none of us were hurt in the recent tornadoes. We don't live in Moore. We do live between Edmond and Carney which were both hit by smaller tornadoes on Sunday night. So was Shawnee. Last Sunday and Monday were full of tornado outbreaks, but the Moore tornado, with its EF-5 fury, has been on the news 24/7. As it should be. A two-mile wide debris cloud took out the center of Moore, a southern Oklahoma City suburb. Twenty-four people died. Ten of them were children. As I write that sentence, I cry. I have children. I have friends who are teachers. Teachers were true heroes...

A view of the potager in spring. What a spring! March and April were exciting, and May seems to be following their lead. I spend every waking moment in the garden planting, cutting back and weeding. Oy! The weeding is a constant battle this year. In the last two days, we've finally hit normal highs. I'm excited to see the upper 80s. Yet another cold front came through last week, and it was very cool before Mother's Day. With each storm, I've received some rain. I'm hoping for more tonight because I planted a lot of tropical plants this morning. I've also been writing, having Siri take notes for me as I sit in carpool line. Siri is a good secretary, and she's helping me remember some of the information I want to include in the book. I think of things I want to share as I plant. I grab...

Oklahoma City's latest freeze date on record is May 3. That record may not have fallen in the city last night, but if you think my garden didn't suffer a late freeze, just look at this ice. It covered the outside of the plastic tunnels I used to protect my most tender plants. Think it wasn't cold here last night? This is ice from the top of some of the row covers. As I wrote in my last post, a lot of the garden has achieved a certain hardiness and shrugged off a low of 31°F or lower. Perennials, shrubs and trees look great. However, I'd planted a lot of tropicals like tomatoes, coleus, alternanthera and tropical hibiscus 'Haight Ashbury.' Also, several of my tender bulbs had already broken the surface and were steadily growing. While I wasn't worried about the cannas, I didn't want to lose my dahlias so...

In the garden today, it is very breezy bordering on windy. While I tidied things, I took some photos of what it looks like on this second, very warm day. Yesterday was 88°F which is about ten degrees warmer than it should be this time of year. Today is a repeat with the wind added in for extra measure. Honestly though, I am enjoying the heat as I stop to pull weeds, or tuck in a plant that heaved itself out of the soil. We are supposed to get yet another cold front tomorrow night with lows in the 30s. This makes me want to curse like a Greek fisherman. I'm not sure if Greek fishermen curse, but I like to think they do especially when the weather won't cooperate. Fishing, like gardening, depends upon good weather. The back garden from below shows early spring prettiness. Everything is preparing to...