Spring Fever

 This was a perfectly beautiful spring day! I was outside in the morning doing some cleanup after the winter snow. Almost all of the snow is gone from my hillside, but there are still a few shaded spots and remnants of plowed snowbanks remaining. The temperature is still 44 degrees at 9:30 p.m., so the snow is still melting and could be all gone by morning!

This afternoon I was out there again after lunch. I kept thinking about all the work that needs to be done outside and decided I had to "make hay while the sun shines." I pruned two small fruit trees on the back lawn, and then  carried a few stones up to the pond site where the newly seeded ground is very wet and soft. I'm hoping they will seat into the mud and after the area dries out, I can add soil or mulch around them. Now they are sort of on top of the mud, but I hope that will raise the level just enough so it won't be quite as wet another year. Goodness knows, I have plenty of flat stones to choose from. The hard part is getting them from where Ben piled them along the edge of the lawn to where I need them. The ground is still a bit too soft for the wheelbarrow, so I decided to just carry a few at a time.

After I'd made a few trips carrying stones, I brought a lawn chair onto the back lawn and just rested in the sunshine listening to the ice melt in the pond. It was truly glorious out there. The sun was warm and bits of ice that the north wind had piled up on the leading edge of the ice yesterday were melting and slipping into the water with a "plop" every few minutes. I was hoping I might hear some frogs, but no such luck. I guess they need a few more warmish days and nights before they become active and vocal. I'm hoping the rain that's headed our way late tomorrow will perhaps bring them up from the bottom of the pond.

Tonight I'm feeling the results of working outside. I have some sore muscles, but probably nothing compared to what I'll probably feel tomorrow! With rain coming, I will have a few days to recover. This has been a fun day, but I think I'm going to turn out the lights very soon. Bed is going to feel really good!