Monday, March 21, 2011

Welcome Home Spring


Our forsythia bloomed, Spring has arrived! It was an absolutely beautiful Sunday afternoon, one of those no coat days where the kids ride bikes up and down the gravel road, shriek as they run from awakening wasps, and eat their sandwiches on the go rather than miss a moment of sunshine and warm breezes. Adults congregate by the road, keeping an eye on the kids and making small talk.

Later my husband and I sat on the porch discussing how nice it is to live out here, away from all the hustle and bustle, where we have everything we could want. A place where the serenade of the spring peepers and croaking frogs rises to a crescendo, overpowering the tunes on our outdoor speakers. The aroma of barbecued sausages fills the air, patties formed from our home processed pork. Where kids can still run from home to home, play in the woods or take a moonlight stroll without worry, with the exception of the occasional tick.

It is time to prepare the flower beds as the iris leaves are popping through the mulch. We've selected our seeds for the garden, all heirloom open pollinated varieties of tomato, beans, herbs and greens. Our little backyard pond suffered during the snow and ice, buckling so badly that its second tier split. I need to pull it out but I don't know what will happen to the frogs, and they are real frogs, not toads. We watch the transition from tadpole to frog, some as tiny as your little fingernail, some big, green and slick. Add to it the sticky footed tree frogs that hug your fingers and tweet into the evening. All contributing to the night sounds that are so pretty and relaxing. I wish you all the same peace we find out here.



frog image

5 comments:

TLW said...

I had ice on my windshield on my way to work and was overly warm on my way home. Spring, with all its unpredictability, has sprung. And not a minute too soon!

Manny said...

We had snow at work (northern New Jersey). Oh I love when the forsythia blooms. It hasn't here yet. It's absolutely so pretty in bloom. Too early for the garden up here. But I bet my mother is just aching to get going. :)

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

This little forsythia is just a planting on our hillside to prevent erosion, consequently it is not maintained to be a plump yellow bush, but it is sweet. It was in the 80s today, all the windows are open and the crocus flowers are popping up. I hear it will rain tomorrow and temps will drop once again. Oh well, this brief reprieve was greatly appreciated.

Yahoobuckaroo's Blog said...

I take it the bears and mountain lions haven't made it down to you guys yet? I know they're seen in Missouri here and there now. They saw one out around Chesterfield in January, so they're getting close to the city now. They killed two others this year I know of, one way up north in Maryville and the other in Kirksville.

I'm sure glad they'd have to manage a swim across the Mississippi to get to me!

http://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/hunters-shoot-mountain-lion-near-macon

http://www.maryvilledailyforum.com/features/x1049176842/Mountain-lion-may-have-been-wild

http://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/chesterfield-sighting-confirmed-be-mountain-lion

http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=582819

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

It wouldn't surprise me if mountain lion are out here. I don't want them anywhere near us. I like being at the top of the food chain.

I know the black bears are here but I have not seen any. They found some dens when they were putting in the new stretch of highway.

We do have bobcat- we've seen and heard them here but they tend to stay away from people.