Tag: Spring

March 19th

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Tuesday, March 19th, 2019

It’s crazy to think that this spot was covered by over 12″ of snow just a week ago.

Our yard blended in with the field – there was no definition between the two. We couldn’t see our grass, the remaining soybean stems, or the leaves I raked into the field this fall.

Now today, the girls are in the chicken version of heaven digging through those leaves, finding soybean morsels, searching for little grub.

Their feet and beaks are muddy, their tails pointing towards the sky, and they are making all sorts of very happy chicken noises.

These joyful little creatures have changed our little slice of the world for the better.

March 11th

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Monday, March 11th, 2019

And just like that, it’s spring! Or at least it feels like it.

With the amount of critters out and about today, it’s safe to say that they all think so too.

We haven’t seen deer (or their tracks) in months. I think the snow got too deep, and to preserve energy they were only moving around as they needed to near where they’ve been bedded down.

So as Paul and I sat out in our lawn chairs (I got sun burned today, and it was lovely!), and we saw this little parade come up the paved part of our driveway, it was the cherry on top of this perfect spring day. They came up from Tucker, took a break in our cul-de-sac, and continued up my parent’s driveway all the way up to their house.

There’s no way to know for sure, but with the size difference between the three, I believe this is our resident doe and her set of twins from last summer.

She really is a rockstar. Year after year, season after season, she prevails.

May 11th

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Friday, May 11th, 2018

With spring getting a late start this year, and us heading to Hawaii in a couple of weeks, I’m a little bummed thinking I may miss one of my favorite parts of the year – spring bloom on the farm.

My parents have Flowering Crab trees, Lilac trees, and three other pink kinds that I don’t know the name of, and they all bloom right around the same time and it’s GORGEOUS! They were in bloom exactly one year ago today, and with everything being two weeks behind, that puts it right at Hawaii time. I’m hoping that the warm temperatures and sunshine will help speed everything along; even just by a couple days would be lovely.

However, at least their Hydrangea tree always buds and blooms early, so that I got to photograph today!

The other thing that were out in full force one year ago today? The bees. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen any yet this spring; I’m hoping this winter’s cold temperatures and late snowfall didn’t damage too many of our local colonies.

Time will tell!

May 9th

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Wednesday, May 9th, 2018

The water is open, and the trees are greening up – it’s finally spring!

My friend Tiffany and I have been trying to go for walks at Crow Hassan Park every week since the weather turned. It’s a great way to catch up, enjoy the sunshine, and get a little exercise. The last couple of times, she’s brought her dog Cleo, and she brings a whole other dimension of joy to our outings.

Being a Lab, she naturally LOVES the water. Every puddle/stream/creek we come across on our walk, she’s bee lining for it, happily splashing in the water and rolling in the mud. Before, Tiffany hasn’t had to worry about bringing her home dirty and wet, as last week was really the first week there was any open water. Once the water became more of a usual staple in our stroll, we planned our walk so we go past the lake on our way back toward the car. While still lake water, it’s much cleaner than the puddles that Cleo finds along the trail 😉

Today, Tiffany grabbed a stick on our way down to the lake, and Cleo could have retrieved all day. Back and forth, back and forth, with the same enthusiasm each time. That’s why I loved today’s image that I caught of her – bounding through the water, ready for the throw.

Both her and Tiffany are treasures – I’m so thankful for both of their friendships!

April 27th

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Friday, April 27th, 2018

Ohhhh yeah, and so it begins!

Storm cloud season.

The first rain of the spring, and not only was it beautiful, but it smelled so good! So fresh; the earth awakening from it’s slumber.

We got this one huge cloud with one large downpour, and then the sun continued to shine. This image shows how starkly different the weather was from one moment to the next.

The other super fun thing about this system? There was a small cloud that followed the large one, but the rain wasn’t reaching the ground:

04.27-2

As Paul is reading over my shoulder, he says that phenomenon is called “Virga.”

Super neat!

Welcome. spring! I sure am happy to see you.

April 24th

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Tuesday, April 24th, 2018

The bird’s chatter filled the cool morning air as I stepped out onto our front porch this morning.

It seemed like hundreds of them, and it was such a welcome sound.

Yesterday I filled all of our bird feeders, and it didn’t take long for them to find them. I had forgotten how much I enjoy their presence! A Mourning Dove pair was one that came to the feeders, and they also settled into our fresh mulch for a nap at one point. I almost lost them when they walked out into our yard – their color is so similar to our still-dead grass.

Hopefully that won’t be the case for long!