Finally. . .Spring
So, the temps have been in the 40s-60s, and we can leave the house now with a flannel shirt, and later in the afternoon, if the sun is out, in just shirt sleeves. The allergies are going wild, the birds are chirping, my bulbs are starting to poke up, and Mike was out cleaning the yard yesterday... It's finally Spring. Oh sure, here in CNY we'll still get some wet snow mixed in with April showers, and I haven't seen a redwing blackbird yet (the real signs of spring), but it's close enough for me.
We haven't had a "Cigar Shop" post in a while, so I asked my blogmates what they love most about spring, and a few responded below (and others will chime in in comments).
Dee says: "The thing I like best about Spring is how green all to the hills become overnight. The only word for it is 'verdant'. The air is richer, the view is vibrant and there's still enough rainy days to make for good writing." :)
Megan says: "My favorite thing about Spring is the smell in the air!"
Karen says: "I love the sound of summer songbirds returning to my garden! We had a day of heavy snowfall about a week ago and through it all, there was this little bird just singing his heart out from one of the snow-covered branches, as if defying the snow to stick around for very long (it didn't)."
And I say all of the above, plus the fact that I don't have to put on twenty pounds of clothes and boots to step out the door. The little Grosbeak was a visitor on our feeder last spring, and I hope he comes back this year. Also, we are in that blissful daily walk zone where there are no flies, no mosquitoes, etc, but it's warm -- love it. :) Oh, and that the heat doesn't have to be on, drying us out, and we can even crack a window open... So many things to enjoy about this time of year...
Of course, the downsides are the mud, the emerging flea and tick season (if you have pets), and taxes, LOL, but I don't care, because all of the other stuff makes up for it!
So how about you? What are your favorite things about Spring?
Peepers!!
Oooo...I almost forgot! My other favorite thing about Spring is the sound of peepers at dusk. We went for a walk the other night, along a trail that winds past a swamp. We were still a good 10 minutes away from that part of the trail, and I could already hear those little guys going crazy. By the time we reached the swamp, the noise was amazing. Sometimes, at night, if it's very quiet, I can hear them from our house. To me, it's always a sure sign of Spring.
Ahh, Spring...
What I love about spring--going to work when it's daylight, because I am solar powered. When it's dark, I don't function well. I love watching the horses get their shiny coats. I love the horses finally having enough grass that I don't have to feed them everyday. I like the energy I get, which will soon by sapped by the heat of summer.
I love the return of the
I love the return of the songbirds and the bulbs poking thru the ground.
Oh yes...
The flowers... love the flowers.... hate the pollen... but love the flowers...
M
I love tulips
Usually crocuses are first to pop up through the snow, but tulips mean spring! I love those early flowers, and the budding, blossoming trees and bushes. The magnolia outside our window's in bloom now. Lilacs are next, can't wait!
Me, too!!
My favorite spring flowers are definitely tulips! But the daffodils and irises are lovely, too!
I'll like it when it warms up a bit more and maybe we can stop cranking the heat all the time :)
I love the blooming trees
I love the blooming trees and their new green leaves and the songbirds. I don't like the ticks and fleas that other people's cats leave behing as they sleep on my porch.
Spring
I love the warmer tempts green grass and the flowers in bloom. We had tempts in the 70's today and I tried to mow the lawn, at least what I could mow. We have had so much rain lately that we have water still standing in out lawn and yes lots of mud. We have a Koi pond in our back yard and I am going to start planting my elephant ear bulbs tomorrow, I hope they come up. Yes I love planting my flowers to. Its going to rain again on Wed. so I have to make hast while the sun shines.
Koi!
I'm so jealous! I love Koi. I always say I want some, but how do you deal with winter?
Sam
New things and babies!
I love spring because everything is green and growing - and there are all the cute little baby animals! In undergrad, there were always ducklings in spring at Mirror Lake. I'd walk around campus and take pictures of all the flowers.
Unfortunately, spring means KILLER allergies. This is very bad news. Also, mulching. Nothing like stepping outside and breathing in the smell of manure. :P
I also love how it's warmer. Finally! My eyes won't tear from the cold, and my tears won't freeze! :D
Spring!
Hail to the Redskins!
NFL schedule coming out, lol
My dd commented that the grass needed to be mowed last night at dinner. The forsythia's blooming--first signs of spring. The trees budding, We have a lot of dogwoods, and they will be blooming soon. Same with the cherry trees in the front of our house, they're budding too. The cat and dog are going crazy with all the birds in the yard. Our resident chipmunk is back and the dog is digging trying to evict it! GRRRR I'm just glad winter is OVER!!!!
A River Runs Through It (our house)
I love Spring, but am always a little nervous that the river will flood. If it's a fairly dry Spring, then no worries, but for the past two years, the river has crested at more than fifteen feet above its normal level. They say this is an anomaly and it should only happen once every 100 years, but we've seen it twice. The first year, we were forcibly evacuated from our home as flood waters rose seven feet in our basement. Last year, they didn't make us shut our electricity off, so we were able to keep the pumps going and kept the water to an inch or so in the basement, despite the fact it was almost to the windowsills on the outside of the house! Knuckle-biting days...
100 year floods
Hey Karen -- you might want to inform them that when they say "100 year flood" etc, that's not really a frequency indicator, it's a description of water levels -- so, a 100 year flood is actually a the chance that water will rise to a certain level, in this case, it has a 1% or 1/100 chance of reaching that stage every year. There could be several in a year, depending on circumstances. This is the value of a geography degree, LOL.
I sure hope the odds are on your side this year -- I imagine it is stressful. :(
Sam
100 Year Flood
Oh, wow...I never knew! I just thought it was a time indicator...averaging once every 100 years or so, give or take a decade. The last time the flood waters reached this level was 1936, then again in 2006 and 2007. Hopefully not again in my lifetime (and may it be a long one!).
SPRING!! I love it!!
We go away every year for Spring Break, down south, so that we miss the last of the cold weather for a few days, then usually come back to grass sprouting, sometimes daffodils, and warmer temps. Spring and fall are my absolute favorite seasons. They're just so perfect. Yesterday it was 70 degrees and absolutely perfect. I couldn't have designed a better day if I tried. Took the new puppy for a walk down to the pond with the ducks, along with my youngest, and just had a great time.
Except for the mud, which is gone as soon as the grass comes in, there's not a thing I dislike about spring!
Shirley
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Spring
Hail to the Redskins!
Shirley, What did the new puppy think of the ducks? My lab just barks at them.