Spring Sunshine

 We have had perfect weather the last two days with sunshine and temperatures in the low-70s F. A very welcome change from the cold rain we have been having. 

Yesterday, to take advantage of this glorious day, Ward and I visited some old and new-to-us trails. We were looking for mostly paved trails, hoping to find less mud there. We succeeded. 

The first walk was a new trail that took us beside woods and long-abandoned houses. While it wasn't pristine nature, it was still interesting to imagine the lives that were lived there before nature began reclaiming it.

This roof was all the way on the ground.
We tried to determine the sequence of events that led to this.

Next, we went to a trail we hadn't been on for a while. It is in a stream valley, and much of it is on a boardwalk, so it was a good candidate for a muddy day.

On the hill next to the trail, we found an old family cemetery. 

The house with the cemetery was no longer there,
 but daffodils and crocuses were marking where it had been.

One of the first things I noticed on the trail was that skunk cabbage was starting to come up.

One of the first things Ward noticed was how this bridge was built. And that's the way it usually goes. I notice plants, and he notices structures. When we are together, we both are shown things we wouldn't normally pay attention to. It works out nicely.

We didn't see much green, but we did see interesting fungi.

But the real stars of the day were the wood frogs, who were croaking loudly in every bit of standing water we came across. I spent too long trying to embed the video with the sound without success, so you'll have to Google it* if you want to hear what they sounded like. But they were singing their hearts out, looking for a mate. 
*https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CbQrorDMPTc?feature=share

That's about it for today, so

Until next time...

Saturday

On Saturday, we woke up to sobering news that we are involved in another conflict in the Middle East. It was difficult to process, so I did what I had to do to survive. I turned off the news and enjoyed the beautiful day we had here. 

Amidst the tragedies of the world, there are still signs of hope and things to smile about.

As the day was warming from the 30s F to the 60s F, Wally and Theo came over for a visit. While Wally and Ward processed yard waste, Theo and I made a big pot of chili. I always enjoy our cooking sessions and the cooking tips I learn from Theo as he tries to make each dish have a good depth of flavor. He is much better with seasoning than I am. The chili turned out to be some of the best I've had.

After lunch, the sun was shining, and the temperature was rising. Wally and Theo made their way home, and Ward and I sat on the porch and read in the warm sunshine. It was wonderful. 

Later, we worked in the yard, pruning and cleaning up the beds. I usually don't do much fall cleanup, except in the vegetable garden, so there's a lot to do. My excuse is that the dead growth on top is a layer of protection against the winter cold. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :)

We saw more signs that life goes on when we found that bluebirds are
 building a nest in one of the nest boxes.

However, to protect the birds, we need to narrow the box hole
that a squirrel enlarged this winter.

During our cleanup, we found several branches that came down
with last weekend's snow. This cleanup is going to involve some chainsaws.

We also found that voles had been active in several places in our yard.
We're still in the research process, but it looks like they won't be easy to get rid of.

I uncovered some daffodils that were trying to grow under a flower pot.

And it looks like the spinach from last fall is coming back.
 Another thing to smile about.

We're back to colder weather today, but spring is on its way.

Until next time...

Spring

Spring weather is definitely here.  And what would spring be on my blog if I didn't whip out Theo's spring poem he wrote in elementary school? So, without further ado, take it away, young Theo.

March 2018

Signs of Spring

The last of winter fades away

Icicles shed their tears

Borne upon a sunlit era

Life awakens once again

In this never ending cycle

Trees grow green, grass is showing

Robins and bluebirds appear

New plants sprout, old ones awaken

New infants to all animals

A time of plenty

Rejoice! For it is Spring!

This and That

I'm still working on finding my retirement rhythm and getting around to the projects I had in mind when I had more time. In the meantime, our days are full of this and that.

The snowdrops have finally bloomed.

We are having a few days of warmer temperatures before the rain and storms return this weekend, so we are taking this opportunity to start some spring bed cleanups and pruning. We are just making it under the wire for some pruning that should happen in late winter or early spring. It is an exciting time of year as things wake up from their winter dormancy and show signs of growth. But it can be overwhelming at times when we look at all that "has" to be done. 

The crocus are finally coming up.

Last weekend, we had a sign-making party at Ward's father's house. Ward's cousin will be running in a half marathon this weekend, and a group is going to cheer her on. We were making signs for that. It was a fun time with most of the family, aged 11 months to 91. Ward and I won't be able to go to the race, but we were happy to make signs. 

Ward's cousin is from Guatemala, so many signs have that theme. This is a quetzal bird, the national bird of Guatemala. 

Ward and I are trying to make Tuesday our primary errand day. With poor planning, we found ourselves too often trying to navigate stores on the weekend. Then, we would be frustrated by parking lots and long checkout lines. With two weeks under our belt, the routine seems to work. First, we go to our line dancing class, followed by lunch. Then we do whatever needs to be done in the bigger town where we do our major shopping. Yesterday, we were organized and made eight stops. 

Really, there's not much exciting going on here, but we sure seem busy. So busy, that I think I'll go take a nap. :)😃

Until next time...

Spring is Here?

There is much hopeful talk of spring these days. We are all longing for relief from the cold of winter and looking forward to the warmth of spring. 

But according to meteorologists, spring is already here. Meteorologic spring, that is. To make weather data easier to compare, meteorologists use the dates of March 1 to May 30 every year to define spring. Astronomical spring is the day of the year when the spring equinox occurs. That varies because of slight variations in the earth's orbit. Astronomical spring is the one that shows up on our calendars and occurs sometime in the middle of March. This year, spring starts on March 20 and ends on June 21.

Spring is a transition season, and it often struggles to decide whether to cling to winter or race forward to summer. Our weather has certainly had its ups and downs recently. Last week, temperatures reached the low 60s before plunging back down into the teens a few days later. Today, temperatures are in the 50s, with howling winds and rain. However, slowly but surely, spring is starting to show itself. 

Here's what spring looks like at my house this week. The showy spring flowers are yet to come, but a few things are peeking up from the dirt.

Daffodils. These are in a warm spot. Other beds show no signs of their daffodils yet.

Daylilies. These are along the same warm wall as the daffodils above.

Iris

The birds have been singing for a few weeks now. This box has a bluebird nest, or possibly two nests, with one on top of the other.

Surprise lily. The leaves come up in the spring, and flowers come up in early August.

Swelling lilac buds.

We have snowdrops in this corner bed, but there are no signs of them yet. However, there's a limb that came down from the winds.

As you may have noticed, we have a lot of cleanup to do in the beds. That and a bunch of pruning. And lawn seeding. And planting. And ... It's about to get busy here outside. As soon as spring comes. :)

Until next time...

Trees (and Other Things) are a Bloomin'

The plum tree, Saturday afternoon

Last Saturday morning, we went to Virginia to visit my father-in-law. Later that afternoon, we came home and saw that the plum tree was in full bloom! Saturday morning, it was mostly bare branches, and voila, that afternoon, it was full of blossoms. Spring is like that. 

I have been thinking about this post for a while now and was going to feature trees and their new growth processes. But every day, the post I write in my head has to change because nature always seems to be one step ahead of me. So below, before everything skips the rest of spring and becomes summer-like, here are pictures from the past few days around the yard. 

Forsythia. We have a long hedge along our back fence. While it is pretty in the spring,
it grows like wild and requires a lot of upkeep to keep under control. 

The Bradford pears are in bloom everywhere.
This was one we had in our front yard until a storm took it out a few years ago.

The ornamental cherry trees are blooming everywhere, too.
We're lucky that we get to see our neighbor's tree right over the fence.

Our cherry tree is fruit-bearing and hasn't flowered out yet. 

Quince bush. This was much like the plum tree.
One day, it was bare, and the next, it was in full bloom.

Daffodils 

Daffodils

The phlox is just starting to bloom.

The warm weather last week was followed by temperatures in the 20s some mornings, and several things, like these mums, got frostbitten. 

I have to work all weekend, but we're supposed to have flooding rains on Saturday, so that's a good day to be inside. What's happening at your house?

Until next time...

Spring ?

 As of late, I've seen pictures of snowdrops and crocuses on Facebook posts. So, with high hopes in hand, I went looking around my yard to see what signs of spring I could find. No snowdrops yet, but I did find a few things had poked their heads above the dirt. Winter is definitely not over, but spring is coming. Get ready for some pictures below of mostly brown with a few splashes of green as you see what I found.

Tulips

Crocuses

Daylilies

Daffodils

Hydrangea. Last summer's blooms are providing
some interest in the winter.

Mums

Nandina. The nandina berries provide color all winter long
 because the birds don't like them.

Beautyberry. The birds do like these berries, so there are only a few left.

Lilac buds

According to the groundhog yesterday, spring is coming soon. So we shall see.

Until next time...

Hello

 Hello, again! Looks like I'm in a regular poster of irregular posting these days. :)

Things are busy here, but with mostly everyday stuff. We had beautiful weather this week before returning to cold and rainy. We took the opportunity to start our spring bed cleanup. I leave most old growth in the fall to protect the roots during the winter, so there's a lot of cleanup to do. However, we've had a relatively mild winter except for some single-digit temperatures in December. It's always interesting to see what comes back in the spring. I hope some mums I planted last year come back, but no signs of life yet. It felt good to be outside digging in the dirt again. And as it always seems, the yard work stretches infinitely before our eyes this time of year. But it will get done, slowly but surely. Unless it doesn't.

Our car had some problems last week with wildly varying estimates of what it would take to fix it, one from a dealer and one from a local, trusted mechanic. Luckily, the lower estimate from the local mechanic won, and the car runs well now. 

And just in time because we leave on Monday for a driving trip south to visit with family and friends. We are definitely counting our blessings that the car trouble happened before we left. We will have a two-day drive down and a two-day drive back. It's been a very long time since we've driven that far for a vacation. Usually, we would fly, but the airlines seem to be having problems now, as well as rental car prices have soared, so driving won out. We shall see how we do. Preparation for the trip is well underway, although some things can only be done at the last minute. I have to work all weekend before we leave on Monday, so we've been doing everything ahead of time we can. 

I will post along the way if I can, but internet access, time, and motivation are still to be determined during our travels.

Until next time...

Spring has Sprung

Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while.  ~Kin Hubbard

This is so true. For me, anyway. I talk about the weather with my coworkers. I talk about the weather with Ward. I talk about the weather with Wally and Theo. I talk about the weather with my sisters. I talk about the weather with the library. I talk about the weather on my blog and other blogs. Anyone I can get to listen, I talk about the weather. Weather is the common denominator for all of us. Rich or poor. Big or little. Old or young. We all experience it, and it's the one thing we really don't have control over. So we talk about it as a way to connect with others, whether complaining or praising what is happening outside. And because I happen not to be so good at chitchat, the state of the weather is a good conversation starter. 

So guess what I'm going to talk about today? The weather. 

Today is the first day of spring. My day started with temperatures in the 20s; it should go into the 40s this afternoon. Cold, but clear. Spring is when I look forward to warmer temperatures and a burst of color. But that does not happen in a linear progression. A warm day. A freezing day. New blooms. Frost-bitten blooms. 

Here is a retrospective of what the weather has been like for the official start of spring since we've been in our "new" house - the first day of spring over the last several years - just because I like to talk about the weather. :) Note: In parentheses is a comparison to this year.

  2023 This year, most of the crocus are about done blooming, although there is one spot where they don't even have buds yet. Sadly, none of the yellow ones came up this year.

2022 (This year, we had no snow at all.)

2021 (This year, the forsythia bushes are about 1 week ahead of these.)

2020 Bluebird nest (No nests in the birdhouses yet this year.)

2019 (The crocus this year are ahead of these.)

2018 (This crocus is 2-3 weeks behind this year's.)

2017 Frostbitten forsythia (This year's forsythia is a couple of weeks ahead of this and is surviving the below freezing temps so far.)

Until next time...