Thursday, March 18, 2010

Early Spring Report

The snow is disappearing rapidly..those rains really helped to obliterate it. There are some snow banks left but for the most part the yard is clear. Chance found a whole collection of his balls, one of which was his favorite.. a blue ball. I don't know what the deal is..apparently he can see blue better than other colors. This is a really early thaw for us.. at least two weeks early. So I will call it a tenuous spring..we are certain to get more snow. I would bet on it. It will probably get below zero again too. March weather can do anything..it is not to be trusted.

My stupid Day Lilies are up, the line that runs underground from the outdoor wood stove to the house keeps their roots cozy all spring..so they poke their noses out sooner than they should. They won't bloom until mid July anyway..so it is not worth getting too excited over.

The sun finally decided to shine late on Tuesday eleven days with no sun..It nearly blinded me. I sat outside a long time yesterday soaking in that warmth. Today the weather forecast is for 50 degrees..unbelievable!! The frost has gone out, and all the excess water in the yard has disappeared.

Chance and Far Guy took off with the Pedometer to measure different walks..distance is important to him. He gets bored with the equipment inside the house. The Phoebe's are here..I can hear them but I never see them. Their "Phee-bee" calls are good to hear. They eat bugs..and the deer ticks..the little itty bitty tiny ones are out..we know this for a fact..Chance had two of these dastardly ticks crawling on him on Tuesday. I had one on the table stuck to a piece of tape ready to take a photo but Far Guy threw it away. There will be more..doggone deer anyway..they are part of that tick life cycle that brings them into our yard. We have stuff to put on Chance..Frontline..I hate to put that crap on him but it is the least of the evils with all the tick borne diseases.

So my early signs of spring include balls lost in the snowbanks magically appearing, itty bitty deer ticks, no standing water in the yard, and Eastern Phoebes. What are your early signs that spring is coming?  How do you know when it is here for sure?  In Minnesota it is the first Robins that I see in MY yard that makes it official:)

14 comments:

Becca's Dirt said...

I bet Chance has been wondering where his favorite ball had gone. Are you sure you didn't bury it?

I sure hope there are no more snows. Hope things continue to dry out.

Buddy sends his hello to Chance. Wish they could play together.

West Side of Straight said...

Can't wait for things to "Green Up"!! That's spring for me! Today we found another ball, and 2 bones!

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Yep, my dang Day Lilies have been tryin' to push through all winter, even through the snow. I decided ya just can't kill the things.

We use Frontline on Tiger the Wonder Dog and the kitty version on little black Mombo. Those pesky ticks will attach to anything with blood. I have to treat my yard because it is surrounded by cattle. It beats the grandkiddos gettin' tick fever.

My Hyacinth is up about three inches....only the stalks so far. Woohoo!

You have yourself a marvelous day sweet Connie!!!

Emma Rose said...

Big buds on the Peony.

DayPhoto said...

When I see the blue birds! They only come with spring is on its way and they stay a short while, until it gets to hot. I just love them.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Rae said...

I noticed buds on my lilac bushes that weren't there last week and my magnolia tree is getting ready to bloom. We are expecting snow and freezing temps this weekend so it will likely damage the blooms. Robins are our first sign of spring here too.

Isn't it funny how dogs distinguish between colors. How can anyone know what they really see? Piper has his favorites too. Carries one particular yellow ball to bed each night. I think he has Dog OCD.

The Retired One said...

I know EXACTLY what you mean...we have crocuses blooming (see my blog) and my tulips are coming up...too soon..I fear they will all die!
But admittedly, this warmth is SO NICE to give us a breather from winter.

Lynda said...

I have to buy some Frontline tomorrow. I, like you, don't like using it but we don't need the fleas on our cats because that progresses to worms. Lovely, huh?
What is lovely is today's weather. We got to be outside with short sleeves for a few hours!

Lo said...

I can tell Spring has arrived in California (no booos please) by the incredible waves of scent from the opening of the pink jasmine flowers. It is so hypnotic that it could put a person in a trance.....I leave a door open at night and the gorgeous aroma fills the house and blankets me when I wake in the morning. The blossoms turn white when they open and are lovely in themselves, but it is the scent that makes you head spin.....it lasts for a week or 10 days.....heavenly.

DJan said...

Today on our hike we heard lots and lots of spring peepers! Croaking away from every direction. That's springtime sounds! Our blossoms have been out for weeks, way too early, by about three weeks. The tulip festival held in April will spend the last two weeks without tulips.

Karmyn R said...

My dog has a favorite "fetch" too and really ignores all the others.

It is amazing how different spring arrives all over the country - like DJan - our spring was SO early. I have tulips blooming now. How crazy is that for March? And the flowering plums? Done.

LadyFi said...

Amazing to see ground - and it looks dry too!

Are the ticks around already? Maybe I should be thankful for our snow cover after all! ;-)

lisa said...

The weather has been up in the 60's for the last few days and most of our snow has disappeared except for in the ditches and where the sun can't get too! but next week it is supposed to go back down in the 40's.

L. D. said...

I guess a Phoebe is a new one for me. I will have to look that one up on the net. Friday today and yes we too are going to have snow and rain and floods.