Spring is Here!

Oh, the delight-filled days of spring!  They have arrived... mixed in with days of cloud and rain, but in the last week or two, we have seen days with temps in the 80s! Spring yard duties have called me outdoors, and I've not spent much time inside, working in the yard and garden.  Today I have found some time inside as spring rains are pouring down outside so that I can share some pictures from the past month with you. 

These purple beauties were the among the first flowers in my garden to
lift their faces to the sun. 

Our son turned 20 years old, leaving behind the teenage years forever.  It feels strange to
no longer have a teenager in the house!

A new foal born to our neighbor is standing with its mother against the glorious sunset backdrop. 

You can see in the earlier picture that they were quite a distance away from us.  However, the kind mother brought her little filly right
up to the fence to meet us!  What a delight that was! 

She was the cutest little thing, all legs, and not quite sure of herself.  In this photo, she was only 4 days old. 

Seeing this sweet baby girl almost made me want to have a horse, but I had to rein myself in because they don't
stay babies long, lol! 

Glorious sunsets in the evening.  I enjoy walking at sunset, as the land is still and quiet, and I love listening to the gentle rustle of the trees and sweet chirps of the birds and turkeys as they bed down for the night. 

We had some chicken drama here this past month as well.  Mr. Pepper must have broken his beak somehow in a fight with the other rooster, Mr. Sal.  Because he was unable to eat, he became weak and lost his throneship.  Mr. Sal took over Mr. Pepper's duties quite gladly, and a sad and dejected Mr. Pepper now follows me around the yard. You can see his broken beak.  I researched how to help him, and discovered that their beaks are like fingernails and can be clipped.  So I did a little surgery on Mr. Pepper, removing his lower beak carefully until they were closer in size.  He now can eat, but remains the underdog, for now. 

It felt great to hang clothes out on the line for the first time this season!  My wool sweater has been folded
and put away for now.  Spring/summer weather is here to stay :) 

A day trip with a friend of mine along the river was enjoyed immensely.  The sunshine was brilliant, with not a
cloud in the sky, and the distant snow-capped mountains added the perfect touch to every view. 

A train cheered at us as it steamed along its own path down the river. 

Great views from every bend in the road had us stopping and getting out of the car quite frequently. 

We walked across this pedestrian bridge that crosses the river.  The rush and force of the spring run-off water below
us was incredible to see. 

An osprey had built a nest atop the bridge and kept a vigilant gaze upon us as we walked underneath.  

My garden journal has been updated for the last year of gardening and is prepared and ready for this season of gardening. 

I use a cheap journal notebook, embellish it, and keep track of all my efforts in the garden. It is helpful to look
back and remember when I planted certain bushes and trees as well.  

I keep track of which seed companies I use, how well the seeds produced, and any other tidbits of information that
might be helpful in years to come. 

Another of the early bloomers in my garden, these purple hyacinths were a fragrant gorgeous addition
to the garden just waking up from its long winter naptime.  

Both our children are graduating from college this spring, and my parents are here visiting and to celebrate with us.  I plan to share another post soon with pictures from our trip to Canada, and the graduation.  :)

I hope you are all having a blessed and beautiful springtime... we are enjoying the flowers, the blooms, and the bright greens of spring... because we have already seen that summer's heat is hovering near at hand.  We are enjoying the spring days as much as we possibly can :)