It’s almost Spring!

Poof! Three months gone, just like that! It’s almost Spring!

I can’t believe my last post was just before Christmas. Seems like, as the years go by, we’re having a tougher time dealing with these long cold, dank, dark winters. I can feel my life slowing down, and I go into semi-hibernation. Then, this morning, as I trudged out to collect the sap from the maple trees, I stepped outside, and it was spring!

Not totally Spring, and there’s still snow in places on the ground, and not a lot is up and blooming yet, but it’s there, quivering on the edge of becoming……Spring! My step grew faster, breathing was a bit deeper, I’m sure I grew at least two inches taller and my heart grew two sizes, right then and there.

I collected the sap from the 5 trees we’re tapping this year, then set the bucket down and went straight out to pull up some tiny sassafras trees for our annual rite of Spring—Sassafras tea. The ground is so soft here in old sand dune country that I can pull these tiny trees right up out of the ground, especially the ones that the deer have nipped the tops off of. While it was steeping, I made a quick trip around the yard to see what other signs of Spring were out there ready for me to see.

The flowers were peaking out from under the leaves at the foot of the greenhouse.

A robin watching me from a nearby tree.

I pulled the cover off the raised bed in the garden and the peas and garlic I planted last fall are coming up and ready to take off. Lots of weeds in there to clean up soon.

The new garden storage shed that Jim’s building has three side walls on it, ready soon to store hoses and all those tools, right at hand in the garden for use.

The snowdrops are up and smiling, and the owls are hooting in a hormone influenced dizzy frenzy of mating time lust.

I’ve already planted marigolds, herbs and the cabbage, broccoli and bok choi seeds in the greenhouse, and they should be up soon.

So I’m back! As I sip my spicy sassafras tea from my favorite froggy flower pot mug, I feel the happiness growing. I'm waking up from the long cold sleep of winter and ready to face the joy of Spring again. It may snow again, it’s still early, but the sun shone down its promise on me today, and better times are ahead. I’ll close with pictures of my beloved grandson, who thinks outside is pretty cool, and loves to go out in his oversized sweater and sweep the patio or follow Grandpa around the yard.

Life is very good! And it's going to get better.