Springing Forward

Growing things have been popping up in our yard the past two months,

and we have come above ground once more as well. We've been out of the basement for about a month now, and it's nice to see the sun shine.

This is our first spring in our new home, and it has been a wonderful surprise to discover these hearty little plants, that have been sleeping underneath us all fall and winter, waiting to grace us with their beauty.
With the state the previous owner left this house, I am surprised that there is anything resembling beauty coming from anywhere on our property, but these little flowers are resiliant, and a pleasant reminder that at some point, somebody else loved our home. With patience and hard work, this house will be looking good again someday.

We've decided to wait to plant or change anything - which is much harder for Matty than for myself -until the end of this growing season for two reasons. One - we want to wait and see what else comes up before we just start ripping stuff out of the ground. There are some wonderful flowers growing out of what was going to be our herb garden, and it will be nice to bring them to a safe home after they bloom. The herb garden can wait. Next week is our first CSA week, and there will be plenty of herbs there, I'm sure...

Another reason we are waiting to act on the outdoors, is the logging. Ted is like us with his projects - slow. He's taken most of the money trees in the back, but I have the feeling we are going to spend most of the summer with the trees around our house still standing. When he is finished, we'll be in a good position to decide what our plans will be next spring. We have a lot of good ideas. Ideas at least. Time will tell if they are good.

After winter, I get just as sentimental as any New Englander about the blooming pussy willows, or the first crocus that pokes it's head out of the frosty ground. The blazing yellows of the forsythia and daffodils, followed by rose of sharon, and lilacs - all signs that we have made it through another winter, and that spring has arrived. But I have to admit, that spring is not my favorite season. For me it's not even a season at all - just a tug of war between winter and summer. People say that March comes in like a lion, and out like lamb. More like a wolf in sheep's clothing. I like the consistency of seasons - the long, carefree days of summer, the crisp air and blazing orange and reds of fall, the dark womb of winter. The hope of warm weather, followed by miserable freezing days, and then back again, is depressing to me.

I know I should be thankful for every day that I have on this earth.

And I do cherish those days spent raking,

and sailing boats,

but it's almost June. And it's time to put the winter coats away.