Spring has finally arrived! The forsythia hedge in front of the house is in glorious full bloom, filling my world with its cheery yellowyness. (Do you like that word?) You almost need sunglasses on in order to look at it, it’s that bright. Above it is seen through the panes of my front door. My neighbor Kim told me that every time she quickly glances over at our house it looks like a big yellow bus is parked in front of it! I can certainly understand why.

The weather has been gorgeous; sunny and warm this week with even higher temperatures in the 70s expected for the next few days. I’ve gotten out and raked the flowers beds clean of their protective winter covering of leaves and dead vegetation. I was surprised to see how much was coming up underneath all that. And just look at the progress my daffodils have made!

Things have been pretty quiet around here. I’ve been on my own (except for dogs and cats) since Rick left for Las Vegas last Friday. It gets lonely without him and I miss him a lot, but the normal daily patterns eventually shift and settle into new ones. I talk to myself (a lot), and to the animals. I’ve watched many episodes of “What Not to Wear” and am convinced that my entire closet should be tossed. I’ve taken the dogs almost daily for a walk. I’ve read two books. I’ve become accustomed to being by myself.

But all that is about to change in a big way. This afternoon I pick my sister up from the train station for her six day visit. She likes to get [already] noisy Alex “talking” even more than he normally does. Then within a few hours of her arrival, Rick will be home again. It will be quite a change from the past week, but I’m ready!

I’ve been struggling with “G.” Today as I passed our local Garden center and saw it all a=bloom with spring flowers, I couldn’t resist trying to capture their spring-y essence. At the same time I thought it might just fit for the ABC-Along. So, feast your eyes on their colors, inhale their sweet and heady fragrance and welcome spring. I hope you’ll enjoy my borrowed blooms!

While cleaning up the yard yesterday, this leaf stuck between the boards of the deck caught my eye.

Yesterday’s weather was very spring-like. Beautiful blue sky, warm sun, and just the slightest breeze. Nothing like the gray skies, wind, and chilly rain that we’ve seen so far this year. We got out and worked in the yard a bit, getting rid of leaves that didn’t get cleaned up in the fall. They are everywhere! We made some good progress. At least our front yard (after professional clean-up) is now prepared and ready for the grass to start growing. Just when that will be, I don’t know. I snapped some pictures of the only things showing signs of life in my yard.

This tree in the front yard is always the first to show signs of budding. I don’t know what kind of tree it is but I will soon since I finally bought a tree identification book.

These bushes are planted along the front of the house. I don’t really like them but I don’t know what I would put in their place either. When it flowers (which is has decided is now) it’s kind of pretty. I think it’s called a Chinese-something-or-other.

The forsythia bush in the back flower bed has a bud or two waiting to pop.

The wild onions that proliferate our back yard are growing like crazy. I should put them in a salad or something. They are flavorful. (Note: that’s Alex enjoying the yard behind them.)

The daffodils are making progress over my photo of two weeks ago, but not much.

And that’s about the extent of spring in my yard. Today it’s back to being gray and sullen outside. By noon it’s supposed to be raining. I know it’s not the way the saying really goes but I’m hoping that all our March showers will bring April flowers. I’m not complaining, truly I’m not. I’m just tired of Winter and more than ready for Spring.

This beautiful amaryllis has given me great joy. It was given to me for my birthday back in December by my neighbor, Aileen. It is now on its third and final flowering stalk. It saved its best show for last: six huge blossoms! It graces my kitchen window and drinks in the southerly sun. Outside my window the no-longer-winter-not-quite-spring landscape is drab and colorless. When I took it outside on my deck yesterday to snap these photos, it injected my brown outside world with a jolt of color.

This is the first amaryllis that I’ve ever had, but it certainly won’t be my last. Next year I vow to pot at least two different varieties. So lovely. It asked nothing of me except for sun and water and gave everything it had back.

Spring is coming, I know. There is a change in the air. It smells different; feels different on my skin. I saw my first robin this past weekend, and the little fox sparrow that scratches around like a tiny chicken has shown up at my feeder for the first time this year. 

Soon our trees will leaf out, and the world outside my window will be a sea of green. I long to open my windows wide and let the beautiful song of the wood thrush fill this house once again.

Poking around in my flower beds the other day I came across proof that the earth is starting to stir again. More gifts that keep giving. Soon ... soon, spring will come.