We’ve had some lovely spring weather this week with warm, sunny days and mild nights. The blooms on the plum trees have shattered and the forsythia and hyacinths are fading but the redbud and flowering almond have come into full bloom. The clumps of peonies are growing taller and fat buds on the iris promise a sea of blooms soon. Tiny blades of gladiola leaves are pushing through the ground out by the garden shop.

Mama was in the hospital four days so I was busy the first of the week making trips to check on her twice a day. She was already telling me she was ready to come home on Monday.When I came home from work on Monday I was pleased to see Jim and his helper had cleared away the pile of junk around the tree behind the cellar, preparing some items for the city cleanup day.

We had a visitor from the Arkansas State Library at our library commission meeting Tuesday afternoon. Ruth Hyatt, manager of extension services, gave us a library board orientation and answered several of our questions. We enjoyed fresh grapes and Concord grape juice, carrying out a purple theme to honor commission secretary Elaine Brandli but she was unable to attend. We also made some plans for our hamburger fry next month.

Jim and I made a trip to Siloam Springs Wednesday morning. We found a clearance sale on ceramic tilesand bought several boxes for the floor of our patio enclosure. I also selected a colorful welcome mat and some pull chains with a pink lily ornament for the ceiling fan.

Dr. Jones called early Thursday morning to tell us Mama was being released from the hospital. I went to the Senior Center and joined friends for lunch, then drove to the hospital to pick Mama up and bring her home. We enjoyed chicken nuggets, French fries and green peas for supper.

I worked at the office a few hours Friday morning, then made a brief visit to a friend and did some grocery shopping when I finished my work.

Saturday was a busy day. We visited the farm supply after breakfast and bought some seed potatoes, onion sets, lettuce, radish and cucumber seeds.

We drove to Southwest City Sunday morning and enjoyed a late breakfast when we returned. Nancy helped me pull out some mesh wire that was entangled in the tall grass behind the garden shop. I planted some cucumber seeds and misted them with water after she left and we did three loads of laundry. A neighbor called and when I went over she gave me a trio of turtles, a spotted frog and a floral stake from her selection of yard ornaments.

-Susan Holland

Susan Holland, who works for The News Herald, is a lifelong Benton County resident.

Opinion, Pages 4 on 04/14/2010