May 24

Several roadsides on the outskirts of town, particularly those whose shoulders remain uncultivated, have wild geranium in bloom just now. My favorite is the upslope of Nanigian Road, just before it intersects Barclay Road (which becomes Rockland as you head toward Treasure Valley).

Here, amidst the green of new foliage, peeks through the showy pink flowers, each with five petals, rounded at the edge. There are fewer shades of pink to found in general now, as spring gives way to approaching June, where irises, lilies, and other early summer flowers ready themselves in purples, reds, oranges and yellows.

The stretch of road is far enough from the center of town that it is easy to see the agricultural history of Paxton; just at the top of the hill is a fallow barn, with hints of foundation to some structure, likely a dairy barn across the road.

To the left, down Barclay is a going farm with dairy cattle, I think. I enjoy passing here on the road to see the aging farm house, bleached white with blackened wooden shutters and a small porch in front. They keep a sign across the road that advertises hay bales for sale, $2.25 or thereabouts, and in the early summer the smell of mown and baled hay is everywhere in the air.

In a week or two, the geraniums will lose their petals, giving way to the developing seed pod that grows in an usual shape and gives the flower its common name, spotted crane’s bill.