I think Mother Nature had her months mixed because April felt more like March. I had to dig out the warm clothes I put away in March to survive the chilly weather of April. I’ll tell you the worst part about this April, it was when I found out I’m not getting cherries and plums from my fruit trees this year. All it took was a few hours of below freezing temperatures to wipe out all the fruit. Ever since then, I’ve been wondering whether it would’ve helped if I covered the trees with one of those tree covers for frosts? To be honest, I feel like the cold would’ve still crept in and damage the baby fruits.

I was devastated at first as I always look forward to picking plums off the trees. My mom and her sisters typically eat the cherries but for me, it’s always the plums. Then I looked around my garden and realized I still have blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, loganberries, and strawberries that hadn’t bloom yet. So there are things to look forward to after all.

Not much happened in April. I had one outing where I visited Red Butte Garden by the University of Utah. The trip was very inspirational and educational as I’ve learned quite a bit walking from one garden to the next. I only wish I have the talent of a garden designer because I don’t have the “eye” to see how to make a garden beautiful as opposed to chaotic and messy.

April ended with rain and a week of rest for me. The rain was on the 26th and 27th of April. It was a rare treat that it rained an entire day on Sunday. I remember when I visited China in 2017, my aunt had to keep reminding me that China wasn’t Utah because in my hometown in China, when it rains, it would rain for the whole day. In Utah, rain is typically a 15-30 minutes event but, indeed, it rained an entire day last Sunday. One of the rain barrels was already overflowing by mid-day and I had to take a couple of water storage containers outside to relieve the overflow.

This also made me realize that this one 50-gallon rain barrel will overflow during every rain event because of the surface area of the roof it covers. Meanwhile, the barrel on the other side of the backyard hardly fills during storms. After chatting with AI for a few days, I went online and ordered 2 more rain barrels and the parts for the linking kits and downspout diverter kit. Hopefully, the next time it rains, I will have four 50-gallon barrel filled with water.

What made me want to expand my rainwater collection capabilities was because I’ve been watching the news and because of the drought and water shortage, there are some cities that are shutting down outdoor water usage. That’s another way of saying “There’s no water, let your lawn and plants die.” What’s sad is that there is water, the people just don’t have the rights to use it. If there comes that day, I like to be prepared.

Anyway, I also ended April with a severe backache, which is still going on. I think it might be an inflammation in the back, AI seems to think it’s an inflamed nerve or an irritated disk because the pain kept shooting down my left leg and makes me feel like I’m just dragging my left leg like a ton of bricks. So I haven’t done much in the garden because of that.

What’s coming up for May?

I’m heading to Seattle by way of Los Angeles in 2 weeks. My mom and I will be stopping in LA first before boarding an Amtrak train bound for Seattle. We’re taking the train for the views and the leisure.

Before the trip, I hope to plant out the tomatoes because having them in the ground is better than having my aunt water the seedlings. When it comes to my mom and her family, I can’t count on anyone to take care of my garden because they all say, “We are not farmers.”

You know what, you don’t have to be a farmer to pour water in a tray and you don’t have to be a farmer to do something kind for once.