One Beautiful Morning in May

The new gravel arrived and my car no longer looks like a reject from a mudbog event,

the early vegetables flaunt their green against a wygelia backdrop,

the iris and other flowers cover up the fact that weeds run rampant beneath,

a shy white rose shows its petals in a shady spot,

and spiderwort, coneflower, coreopsis and sedum tell me that sometimes I just plant too much too close--but they forgive me anyway.

And that reminds me of one of my favorite ballads, one with a happy ending, surprisingly, called Pretty Fair Miss:

A pretty fair miss all in her garden,
when a fine young soldier come riding by.
and then he stepp-ed up right up to her,
Said, 'My pretty fair miss, will you be my bride?

Oh go away, oh go away

you're not the man I thought you to be

for if you were a man of honour
you would not have spoken such words to me.

'I have a true love in the army,
And he's been gone for seven long years.
But if he gone for seven years longer,
No man on earth could marry me.'

what if he's drown-ed in the ocean,

Or if he's ons on some battlefield slain,
or if he's to some other girl married,
And you will never see him again?

Well if he's in the occen drown-ed,

or if he's on some battlefield slain,

or if he's to some other girl married,

I'll love the one that's loving him.

He put his hand into his pocket

and he pulled out a golden ring.
she looked and saw it was the ring,

the very ring she'dd given him.

He pulled her into his arms,

and kisses gave her one two three.

said I am the man that once did love you

and now please miss, will you marry me?