Daffodils

During our warm spell a couple weeks ago my daffodils broke ground.  Then cold weather settled in again and my dafs, being smart flowers, hunkered down and grew in slow motion.  The first one bloomed yesterday afternoon, a harbinger of the warm weather to come.

I've noticed that daffodils at other homes in Presque Isle have been in bloom for several days.  These are usually bulbs planted near a house's foundation, where the soil tends to be warmer.  Thinking about that, and noting that my bulbs were coming along more slowly, I decided that the warm soil at other homes may be a sign that heat from inside the house is "leaking" into soil adjacent to the basement.  That's an expensive way to force your spring bulbs!

At the moment, I'm neck-deep in preparation for Holy Week services, including a Long Rapids-Lachine community observance of Good Friday.  Grace Episcopal Church, Long Rapids, where I supply two Sundays a month, is hosting the service this year.  This morning (long after our bulletins had been printed) I learned that a standard format for this service was worked out a year or two ago — but no one bothered to tell the new kid on the block.  We're offering a standard Episcopal liturgy for Good Friday.  I trust that won't offend anyone.  Actually, one benefit of an ecumenical service is the opportunity to share in other forms of worship. •••