Early Spring Awakening

The bees have been buzzing around the crocuses.

And I reckon the daffodils will be out within a week.

Michigan has been breaking heat records, some of which have stood for 90 years.

And we've had a few tornados, which normally don't arrive until July.

Amazing.

Something tells me it's going to be a strange summer.

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Tantalizing Hints of Spring

Wow. Nearly a week since my last post, which means we're one week into March, which means March is passing by. This is a good thing. It's looked and felt like March for far too long.

Today, believe it or not, we reached 50 degrees. I took advantage of this sunny, warm, windy day to clean the windows, inside and out, of the sunroom, which has been my office for a week or so. I also dragged out the hose and cleaned the screens. I dusted shelves and cleaned woodwork and vacuumed up cobwebs. I organized my books, my planting gear and seeds, and my art supplies. I even planted out my red onion sets that I had been storing since fall. I put them in the one place where the ground had thawed enough (and congratulated myself anew on my big raised bed project from last year, which made that thawed ground possible).

Tomorrow it is supposed to get up to SIXTY-ONE DEGREES, though it will be quite windy. I'm thinking that the boy will want to take his bike out and play in the sandbox. So that's we'll plan on doing. In fact, with the exception of a cold Friday, the 10-day forecast is shaping up to be pretty balmy. Not so good for maple syrup producers (which stinks) but great for winter-weary Midwesterners.

So don't forget your sunglasses this week. Those pasty arms and legs are bound to be popping out of sleeves and shorts and you don't want your eyesight damaged by the glare.

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Life's Little Surprises

Ah, the surprises that each day brings! We are going along in life at a certain pace with ideas and goals and desires, and then all of a sudden . . .

. . . life pokes you and gives you something to think about. For instance, I have plans to try to work through my fabric stash while sewing this spring and summer. Then on Sunday a woman in church brought in massive amounts of fabric for my friend Valerie and I to look through and take for free. Who can turn down good yardage, especially in shades of blue?

Dear me.

Another example. By late April we Michiganders have started to let down our guard vis-à-vis snowfall. We did already have a snow in April, after all, and while we know that we're due one, we don't really think about having another two weeks later. But then you wake up and raise the shades and . . .

. . . your flowers are huddled under a white blanket.

Ah, well. By the end of the day, most of the snow will have melted. Already it's gone from the lawn and most of the garden. It's essentially fluffy rain, right?

And just a couple days ago I was wishing there was a thrift store closer to home so it would be easier to drop off my donations (which ride around in our cars for weeks on end because we never pass by a thrift store in our everyday travels). Then today there was a flyer in the door announcing the opening of a new thrift shop just a few blocks away. Perfect.

Life has been surprising me a lot lately, in mostly quite pleasant ways.

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A Moment of Spring

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Signs of Spring

I know this is old news to you southerners, but look at these . . .

The first floral harbingers of spring have sprung! And other early risers are showing as well . . .

Birds are filling the air with their beautiful songs, bathing in the melted snow in the bird bath, and enjoying my feeders. I got to walk to the library with my son today because the sidewalks were finally clear of snow and ice. The boy got to swing and play on the slide at the park. The windows are open so we can finally get some fresh air in this old house.

And I have the pattern and fabric for my Easter dress this year! The pattern was a gift from Mom via eBay and the fabric I've had since last spring but never used because the right pattern hadn't come along yet.

Can't wait to get started on this beauty!

I'll be making view 1 with this lovely fabric . . .

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A Textured March

I took this photo in early March, 2009.

For the past two weeks, I've been working with these fabrics.



And even though this March is far more gray and white than brown and blue, I feel sure the brown and blue is coming soon. Even it snowed today, I feel sure that it will rain soon. Even though everything is filthy everywhere, I feel sure that soon it will be new again.

Because that's how it always is. And God is faithful.

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March

Allow me to point out that if you are reading this you have survived another February. This may not seem like a big deal to those of you in the south who are already planting your vegetable gardens, but to those of us still under several inches of snow, this is a momentous occasion. Last night I turned my calendar to reveal this lovely lady.

She's happy it's March, too.

Outside red squirrels scamper across the crusted snow and every day I hear birdsong heralding warmer weather. Today it is supposed to get to 40 degrees. The sun is shining stronger and sticking around for longer each day. This is the time to keep your birdfeeders filled and watch for interesting birds passing through on their migrations. It is also the time songbirds are beginning to next, so if you want to put out birdhouses or nesting material, now is the time.



The boy is very much into dogs at the moment. Live ones, stuffed ones, pretending to be one (there is a lot of high-pitched barking, panting, and begging in our house of late). Anything fabric-based becomes his dog bed, including a pile of dirty laundry or the actual dog's bed, which is COVERED in fur since shedding season is in full swing.


In a week Lent will begin. I love having a late Easter (April 24th this year) because it's more likely to be nice weather. But having Lent begin in March rather than February is a bit difficult. Lent in February feels quite natural. We're all depressed anyway. But Lent beginning in March will take more of a concerted effort, I think.

Meanwhile, we're here making the best of lingering winter, looking forward to rain puddles, flowers, and getting back into the sandbox. Unfortunately our weekly storytime at the library is on hiatus during March, so we'll have to find some other special thing to do on Wednesdays for the coming weeks. Tomorrow we'll be going to the zoo, and, I suspect, playing trains.

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The First Song

Sunday morning when I went out to start the car to let it warm up before heading to church, I heard the first spring birdsong of the year. I'm fairly certain it was a tufted titmouse. To hear it, click here and play the little sound track below the photo. I stopped in my tracks and watched the little singer way up in the old sugar maple flit from branch to branch as he called out for a mate. This pause may have been part of the reason I was late to Sunday school that morning. But what northerner could tear herself away from such a beautiful sound?

I stared up at the sky with a dumb smile on my face, thinking of all the little springy signs that would follow this song. Soon we will have our February thaw, which will in turn cause otherwise sensible people to go around in shorts and no coats, despite the fact that it will probably not even get past 36 degrees. This won't last, as we will get snow again in March and likely in April (as always). But it will trick us into bizarre behavior, like trying to sneak the seeds of tender vegetables into the ground, thinking that maybe, just maybe we'll get a jump on our very short growing season. They'll all perish in the ensuing frosts, but I guarantee some overeager gardeners will do it just the same.

But I am a realist. It will be cold and fairly miserable during February and March. So let's just embrace it. Make some "transitional" garments and accessories.

This weekend I crocheted these wristers to go with my blue beret. They're alpaca, so they're warm, but the pattern is full of holes, so they're cool. They're perfect to wear while I'm out tromping around in the woods in March, searching for signs of spring to photograph.

Here's the pattern, if you're interested.

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