Getting Ready for Next Week
This just in from Old Man Winter:

Sunday in the Yard

The weekend is coming to a close and what a very nice one it was! How was yours? Up here in New England it was sunny both Saturday and Sunday and it reached just about 60 degrees! It was the first time in a long time that we've been able to muck about the yard without getting, well, mucky. All the snow is gone but the earth is not quite muddy yet. A good time to walk around and see what's what.

Yesterday afternoon, Bill took Earlybird on a walk down the bike trail. They came home with several pet rocks and this long branch they found alongside the river:

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We are fairly certain it was chewed up by a beaver! Just look at these marks:

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I thought it would be fun to pretend to be beavers this week while munching carrots and celery sticks. :)

Today, while Bill installed a new toilet (hooray!) and the older two boys played on the swings (yes, they still do that, lol) Earlybird and I snipped some branches for forcing. We were pleased to see new buds all over the forsythia bushes!

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While I gathered the cuttings, Earlybird turned his attention to the cherry tree. He was feeling particularly sentimental about his tree.

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"I wuv you, tree."

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"I wuv you burds."

(I promise you I washed his hands the moment we came inside.)

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The rhododendrons show promise ...

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... as do the very tips of this tree. Those are bright red leaf buds!

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This is the south-facing side of the learning room. It gets all-day sun and I really want to hang a long windowbox underneath these windows. I was thinking we could have nasturtiums and other pretty flowers here. Maybe herbs, too. I want to attract butterflies here. Any suggestions? And the shepherd's hook below will hold hanging pots of something or other. :)

I'm so ridiculously eager for spring. Can you tell?

I'm going to ignore those weather reports that call for 1-3 inches of snow tomorrow. Yes I am. In my heart, spring has arrived.

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