Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

The first dogwood flowers are opening today, April 18, 2008. I am  
located in Ozark County, Missouri, in a hollow. Google Earth puts me  
at 36*43'54.01"N and 92*19"12.53"W. (That's me peeing on that flat  
rock to see how high it'll splash.) The elevation of my inhabited area  
ranges up from about 720 feet at the stream to perhaps 750 at the edge  
of the woods north of the house. Flowering plants up on the ridges  
such as forsythia and lilac as well as serviceberry, redbud and  
dogwood are usually about a week ahead of me.

One of my favorite juxtapositions is white dogwood flowers in front of  
purple redbud flowers. Most superb eye candy is when the two are  
backed up by a big cedar tree. Exquisite.