The vegetable part of the garden is going well – if slowly. Our peas are up and looking good, but have not gotten to a second planting. We got most of the tomatoes and peppers in and under row covers last weekend.

From Friday morning through Saturday evening, my woodchuck created three new holes and I covered four. He may have found the ground beneath my shed inhospitable, or he may just be worn out.

I'm about to cry. Just before coming in to work, I saw a new woodchuck hole underneath our garden shed. I ran to get what used kitty litter we had on hand, and saw the woodchuck scurrying to the hole as I approached.

My onions are making good progress. At least most of them. They seem to like the damp weather – within limits.

We cut our first lilacs this weekend, which always brings a nice aroma to the house. I love lilac time. But with the soggy weather, that and picking asparagus was about all the gardening we did.

We will be growing artichokes for the first time this year. Not for the food, but for the looks of the plant.

Our arabis, common name rockcress, although Nancy never calls it that, has brightened my morning for the past three weeks.

The woodchuck has been missing for three weeks. I am afraid I may be jinxing myself and – as baseball players say – it's a long season and you take it day by day, but at least in May, I am ahead.

Welcome aboard. You are invited to a personal viewing of my gardening season.

And the season has begun. I have eaten the first food from my garden this year. The asparagus is up.