Signs of Spring

I was doing some yard work earlier this week, and was so happy to see signs of spring poking up through the dirt in my front flower bed.  The tulips were peeping their green heads up out of the ground with a fierce tenacity, determined to show forth their beauty in spite of all the cool weather we had towards the end of this week.  Along with the cool weather, we also got quite a bit of rain, and (with just a little imagination) you could almost see the grass turning green outside right before your eyes, even as the rain poured down.  The pouring down rain seemed to turn the grass from brown to green in a subtle way.

So, I thought I would take a few pictures of how spring is showing up around my house and yard, and share them with you.

We are getting ready to plant!  This year, I am trying something different.  With my past gardening experience in Texas, we just sowed our seeds directly into the ground in April sometime, and the ground was warm enough then for the seeds to germinate and grow on their own. 

After living here in Idaho for over a year now, I realize that method doesn't work so well here. 

This year, I am planting my seeds in these little growing pots, and carefully tending them until they are strong enough to sit outside in the sun for a few hours each day, and then hopefully the weather will have warmed up enough, that I can transplant them directly to pots or to the ground.  Because of the abundant deer population around here, and the fact that we don't have an 8-foot fenced garden area, I am considering doing just container gardening and seeing how that works out for us.

Some of my seeds have sprouted up already, with the cold-weather loving veggies being the first to show up.  The broccoli, argula, spinach and kale were the first ones to germinate.


I've set the seeds in front of the window so they can get plenty of light.  I've started all kinds of veggies, and herbs, including the above mentioned broccoli, spinach, arugula, and kale, and of course, squash, lettuce, radish, peas, beans, carrots, onions, and others.  I've also started some herbs that include rosemary, oregano, cilantro, dill, chamomile, echinachea, lavender, and basil.  If I can find another window to open up to warm sunlight, I may do another batch of these seed starting pots.  It is just too much fun! I may have to rearrange furniture in order to do so... so, we'll see....

This is a peek of one of my tulip plants who has bravely stuck its head out of the ground and is steadily growing taller every day.  Can't wait until my tulips come into bloom!

Here are my empty pots that I dug out of the woodshed, waiting to be filled with soil, and plants!  

The grass in my front yard doing its best to turn from ugly winter brown to bright green.  When it started to rain last week, you could almost see the yard literally turning from brown to green.  Won't be long and we'll be digging the lawn mower out!

A sure sign that spring has come when you see these brightly colored dandelions!  I've read a lot about dandelions, and how good they are for you.  These dandelions may end up in a salad soon!

There is a wild rose bush growing out in front of the house.  I looked closely today, and you can see the green buds pushing forth to meet the springtime sun and rain.  Won't be long, and there will be some beautiful roses growing!  There are wild rose bushes that grow all over the hills and roadside here in Idaho.  It is an absolutely magnificent sight to see and smell when they all come into bloom. 

A picture of the clouds in the sky today overshadowing "my mountain" that I can see from my office window.  This is the mountain that I climbed not long ago, where from a 360-degree radius you could see perhaps for 10 -15 miles in any direction.  The clouds and sun play games over this hill all day long, and you can look up at any time and see the hillside, trees, clouds, and sun changing colors....  always a magnificent view. 

And that is the "taste of spring" that we are having around here.  The mud is drying up quickly, tulips are beginning to bloom, roses are budding, and we are hopeful that Spring really has arrived!