And so begins my Iris Parade. Bearded irises are one of my favorite flowers. How nice that their easy care fits so well with my life. I treasure my gardens but they are in serious need of work. As Spring unfolds, I first must give all my attention to post winter bunny chores in a race to get it done before the dreaded fly season. Then comes a flurry of fiber festivals. The gardens cannot get their spring attention until that is done, about mid-May. Perennials are of course the perfect answer and these irises pretty much the perfect perennial. My only complaint is the show is too short. But a lovely bit of happystance occurs here around my house that takes care of that. When we bought this house 9 years ago, I brought with me my prized perennials but didn't have time for any planned plantings. I just stuck things wherever they would survive until I could put some thought into things. What I discovered is this house has several mini climates: the east side blooms first, then the western front, followed quickly by the western back side, and eventually the parade marches on into the back yard. My annual iris treat should last about 2 weeks but with this progression of bloom, I get closer to 6 weeks of show. The next blooms will be a rich blue, and then the yellows. I have no idea what colors are in the back yard at this point as the gardens there are under reconstruction and I don't remember what I put where. I like surprises.
Proud Mama Moment
It's been a lot of years of hard work, indecision, more than a bit of money and evolving talent, but the kid finally did it! My son graduated from college yesterday with a BA in Graphic Design (or 
maybe it's a BA in Art with a concentration in Graphic Design? Details, details... all I know is there are no more tuition payments, at least for this one). In the photo, my son is the fella sort of in the middle with the yellow ropes. Yup, he graduated with Dean's Distinction (his GPA is high enough for Summa, or possibly even Magna, Cum Laude but he transferred to this college as a senior and needed 3 more credits earned at this college to qualify for any of the Cum Laude designations). I'm so darned proud of him! The Procession in the photo is the Walk for the Wish or some such - they just gather behind the scenes then parade double file to the fountain where each grad gets to toss a penny into the fountain to make a wish. Then comes the actual long boring Commencement ceremony, punctuated by that brief wild moment when his name is announced. Did I mention how proud I am of my son???
Official Fiber Content
I have to toss in something fiber related and the euphoric "she's here!!!" email from Karen at Hunter 
Hill Alpacas fits in perfectly. She's having her own very exciting proud mama moments. Ain't that baby adorable?? Karen reports "She was born this morning around 9:30 am! 19.7 pounds!!" Karen, her husband Steve, and their beautiful daughters had the daunting adventure last Christmas time of moving their alpaca farm to a new home. Seems like this new arrival is proof positive of a good thing. Congratulations, Karen and Steve!
I indulged in fiber activity at the graduation, as well. First, while we stood around orienting ourselves on campus, my younger son got to stand, arms outstretched with my skein of yarn looped over them so I could wind up a ball of 
yarn. The yarn is my own handspun blue angora. Then, I started another brainless knitting project, a simple scarf with seed stitch border and stockinette for the body. The photo shows only up to two rows of stockinette, but I got a good bit more than that done before that crowning moment of pride. I'm not sure yet, but I may decide to overdye this scarf in cherry red. But then again, once it blooms, I may decide to stick with the natural color. Time will tell.
Last night, to celebrate the graduation, we went to dinner at my new favorite restaurant, the one 
with a spinning wheel in one of the lovely old dining rooms. This time, I arrived with camera in hand to show you the wheel. Can anyone tell me anything about this wheel from the photo? The treadle is not connected as you can see - it sits perched on top of the wheel. The flyer is broken so the wheel definitely needs some loving attention. I'd like to be able to bring some info to the restaurant to see if I can convince them to let me get the wheel refurbished but who knows if they'll go for it. I'm thinking the restaurant would make a wonderful place for a spinning lunch!
Wonderful post for a wonderful time - congrats to your son. When I was younger I thought iris were dorky - just leaves most of the time then a brief spurt of flowers. Big deal. With the microclimates around my house I, too, have extended the blooming season and now I like iris a lot. The fragrance, the color - and the surprise that life held in store - maturity brings iris.
Posted by: Cathy | May 23, 2005 at 01:12 PM
Congrats to your son on his graduation with honors! And to you for the end of the payments! Yipee! :)
Posted by: Karen | May 23, 2005 at 08:03 PM
Hurray for the grad! Give him my best wishes and tell him it's time to face the real world! Hope he's ready!
Loving the beginning of my iris show; one of the ones you gave me has a couple of spears showing, tightly closed so I have to wait patiently!
Posted by: Leslie | May 23, 2005 at 09:55 PM