Signs of Spring

I was rudely awakened at 6:30 this morning by a bird committing suicide by flying into the window over my head.  That is one heck of a way to wake up, I'm telling you.  Since I was sitting bolt upright in bed I figured that I might as well get up.  So I did.  It was another beautiful day today, partly cloudy and warm, so I patrolled the yard for evidence of spring.  I've been meaning to go around the house to see if the forsythia is blooming.  It is.  There is a grand total of five blooms on it.  This one that was in reach of my camera and four others on the uppermost branch that's almost touching the roof.




The first few lilies of the valley are sending up spears of green in the corner of the bed under the kitchen window,


 



the bleeding hearts have grown a few inches since last Sunday,






and the tulips next to the porch will be opening tomorrow, the next day for sure.




Since my cold has subsided to a point that I can reliably breathe and my cough has migrated up from my chest to the post-nasal tickle in my throat, I put on some workout clothes and went off to the Y to spend an hour working on the weight machines.  It felt great.  April was an awful month for getting to the Y, I was either out of town or sick.  I'll do better in May.




When I got home I had some lunch and then got out the step stool, took down the denuded seed wreath, and hung up the Menopausal Goddess for the summer.  I do like her; I smile every time I see her.





While I was out there I saw that I have dandelions.  Durwood would send me out to pop the head off them so that they don't spread but as DD, fists on hips, said to him when she was 6 and he sent her out to do that, "Dad, dandelions are flowers too!


Then I came in, folded a basket of laundry, and started shifting my winter clothes and socks into the basement, and bringing up the summer stuff.  Before the winter clothes from the closet get carried downstairs I need to go through them because I know that I didn't wear some of them and probably shouldn't keep things if I don't wear them.  Right?

 5 May--August Macke, Four Girls.  Jed looked out the barn window and saw the girls looking at something on the ground at the edge of the woods.  Marian had her hand on Evelyn's arm as if to hold her back.  Susan and Bea stood shoulder to shoulder with their eyes wide.  Evelyn had a stick in her hand and was poking something Jed couldn't see.  Even though she was the youngest, Evelyn was the first one to rush into things.  Lord, he hoped they hadn't cornered a skunk.  Lillian would figure out a way to blame him somehow if the girls got sprayed.

My mouth and tongue are sore from having a cough drop or Zycam in my mouth all of the time for the last week.  I'm so ready for this to be over.  Pretty soon.  Please?
--Barbara