Waiting for Spring

This is a difficult time of year for me.... Is it spring or is it still winter?  Are we going to HAVE spring this year or go right into Fall?  If we have a nice spring, does that mean we'll have a horrible summer?  

So many questions.  Last year our April was absolutely gorgeous!  In the 70's all month long.  Now, this is incredible for a couple reasons.... we hardly ever get weather in the 70's in the middle of our best summer and here we're sunny AND warm in April!  And did we live to regret it?  You bet we did! 

The rest of our summer was horrible.  Normally we will start our winter cleanup around now, picking up branches that have fallen in wind storms, raking up the million pine cones that have fallen, picking up trash that has blown into our yard, more raking, tidying up gardens.  Last summer our weather was so horrible that we struggled all summer long to even get our spring clean up done.  We were still pruning damaged shrubs well into Fall.  Summer came and went at the blink of an eye. 

Yes, this is our dilemma....  what kind of summer are we going to have. But first.... we need to feel that spring has finally arrived.

I can honestly say that I believe it has....  At least the little red nubbins of the rhubarb have poked their shiny red heads up through the frozen ground.  That's no easy task!  We've had a few nice, sunny days but it hasn't been warm.  This weekend it was gorgeous, but the 41 degrees felt more like 32 degrees. 

We've already done a lot of our spring clean up but still more to go before we can welcome summer.  I'm anxiously awaiting some green to start forming on my shrubs, maybe a little yellow from Trollius to shine on our yard. 

But, for now, everything is still pretty brown. 

Yes, spring always brings with it hope.... hope for a sunny summer.... time spent outside without having to bundle up.... picnics.... hot dog roasts.... and a yard filled with color.  So far we're off to a good start.  Wish us luck! 

Later! 
Nancy