Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Welcome, Spring

MY CROCUS ARE UP…

…and I saw a Robin the other day. Two telltale signs that spring has, indeed, arrived here in New Hampshire.* Since our neighbors across the way (those who live on "the sunny side of the street") already had daffodils in bloom while we still had two-foot snow piles, we had my son rake out the piles a bit, to help with the melting. And lo and behold! There were the crocus poking out to greet us—in all their purple and yellow glory.

First signs of spring

Now I am itching to get into my gardens, clean out the beds, divide some overgrown perennials, put out the ornaments, spread the mulch, plant the annuals...

On Monday morning, I raked and hauled leaves out of one half of one bed before the rain came. It was about all I could handle anyway, before being totally out of energy and breath (and having to get ready for work). At this rate, it's looking like it could take me a while to get them all ready for spring planting, but that's fine with me. It's the simple act of being out there, puttering about, that's the real joy of having a garden in the first place. So, welcome spring!

Oh, sunny day!

*I would be remiss not to add that winter is my favorite season and as much as I like playing in my garden, I, for one, am not happy to see the snow go. You see, I am an avid snowboarder and, even though it's spring on the Seacoast, there's still plenty of snow up on the slopes. Cannon got four inches last weekend and their season is still going strong. Plus, next weekend is the annual Reggae Fest at Sugarloaf (always a good time, mon!). So, even though I welcome spring on the one hand, I still say "let it snow!" :)