Signs of Spring

 






I gots 'em!  When I went out for the newspaper this morning I saw this cluster of yellow crocuses all set to bloom with a single lone white-with-pale-purple-stripes one nearby.










 


A less welcome sign of spring was the flurry of snowflakes that darkened the skies for a few minutes.  Bah.


 


This afternoon I spied a Goldfinch at the feeder.  Look how much brighter it is, lots more spring/summer yellow than fall/winter avocado.  Hooray!

I was also reminded why I stop putting suet pellets in the platform feeder in the spring, summer, and fall--at least one chipmunk has learned to climb the crook and hop across to stuff its cheek pouches with them.  The little creep.






This morning I got the wooden clamp shelf that Grandpa Stephan made ages ago hung up and am happy to report that all four of my non-cow creamers fits on it nicely.





I also rearranged the travel sign, framed photos of Durwood and me diving, and a fortune I had framed probably 35 years ago that says, "You will travel to many places" so that they make a nicer grouping.  The other "house" thing I did was go out and finally manage to yank the rest of the soaker hose out of the ground behind the retaining wall, wrench the hoses off the faucet splitter, and coil them up neatly on a fence stake.  I did not, however, take a photo of the dirty and kinked hoses.


Instead of going to the Y today I set off to walk around the block after I got the feeders filled and the hoses tidied up.  I'm sad to say that my leg muscles still complain when I walk.  I was sure that by now they'd be used to me using them to do more than sit on the couch but I guess not.  After walking I hopped (more like hobbled) into the car and went erranding for some birdseed, bananas, mini cukes, and Roma tomatoes.  For supper I whipped up more WW Green Goddess dressing and made myself a big salad topped with grilled chicken breast and croutons.  Deeeelish.

And last night at Friday Night Knitting I hit the six-inch mark on the Zauber sock foot so I knitted in some waste yarn (white) and tonight after supper I picked up the other sock yarn I had picked out and managed a few rounds of the second sock foot.  One of these days I'll get all the way to the second cuff and then I'll find out if my ad-libbing on the Afterthought Everything Sock pattern worked.  I'm certain that there's at least one guild member who can help me.  KK is a real sock maven; she's leading the April Sock Knit-a-long, and knits a zillion socks, she even designs them, so I know I can fling myself on her mercy if (when) I get myself into a pickle.



30 March--Tropical Obsession. 

Manning cursed as he looked at his hurting foot. A thorn from one of the cacti nestled in the rock had pierced the side of his shoe and worked its way into the soft flesh of his arch. He carefully scrutinized the next boulder he came to before sitting down. It took a moment for him to work up the nerve to begin gingerly working the devilishly sharp clump of thorn out. His breath hissed between his teeth and his blood flowed fresh and red to splash on the rocks where it immediately was absorbed. Manning tore a strip from his khaki shirt to stanch the blood and act as a temporary bandage. Blistering the hot, still air with curses, he retied his shoe and, limping only a little, resumed his climb.

I am fearful that there's something more wrong with my leg muscles than just laziness but I plan to take more frequent jaunts around the block to see if that will help ease them.  I'll also ask M, the trainer, about it when I see her on Monday.  I'm not giving up on being ready to walk more comfortably in Yellowstone in August.  Not.
--Barbara