Has spring finally sprung??

Well, let me just say, "I hope so."

~

We have been having some really nice weather...finally.

It seems like with every passing day the color is getting more visible.

I was beginning to wonder if the leaves on the trees were ever going to pop out.

 But my fears were put to rest when I noticed that the lovely yellow powder,

 (which I lovingly refer to as oak dust)

had started accumulating all over my clean black car over the weekend.

I detest this wicked yellow powder.

 Ah yes...one of my most favorite signs of spring...NOT!

But as much as I have been complaining about the weather, I better be careful what I say!

~

These pretty little violets have started blooming and are scattered throughout the yard.

I don't see them every year so I imagine some of our fine feathered friends have helped them along.

They are tiny, actually about 1/2 inch in diameter.

 

  

And I saw a few of these...although very few...and they are miniscule, as you can see.

 

 

The most prominent, standing out from the stark, leafless woods are these favorites of mine.

 After weeks of being in a state of dormancy, these pretties are currently in their glory!

 

 

Sadly, my wisteria didn't make it again this spring. 😢

 

 

This photo was from two years ago.

If they make it next spring, maybe I will still be around here to enjoy them once more.
We shall see.

~

 So as the outside world is slowly but surely bursting forth in glorious hues,

inside in the dining room, there is/was some color going on as well.

I say is/was because those beautiful orange and purple petals are all but gone...

...a few are still hanging on for dear life.

Thanks to my dear hubby, I can always count on it being springtime on my table.

 

  

I rarely get tulips and I have really enjoyed these.

 

Y'all surely must know I really like getting up close and personal with my blooms.
 



 

These purple ones stayed closed up for a couple of days after he brought them home 

and I wondered if they would ever show their pretty faces.

 

They finally did, as you can see.
 



Certainly only our Creator could manage something as intricate as these.
 



 

And in other news, as we were sitting and watching TV the other night,

Jim glanced out the back door and saw something crawling across the top of our shed.

By the time I had gotten my camera, it had made it's way into the tree.

As I stood below, looking straight up at him, he posed for the camera like model.

Cute or ugly?

I say cute, looking at him from the front...

 

...but that long pointed snout leaves a lot to be desired for the profile shot.
I liked him a lot better after I found out that they eat lots of ticks.
Better in his tummy than on my babies, I say!
~
Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend, y'all!

Did Someone Say...Spring??

Have y'all seen a meme like this floating around out there the past few weeks?

I don't know who makes these things up but really, when you think about it,
it actually does seem like winter is doing just that!
It's Tuesday as I write this and tonight we are in for yet another batch of wintery mix.
~
I went back and looked at some of my old posts from previous Marches
and most of the photos look a whole lot more springy than it currently does around here.
The photo below was taken from a post on March 29th of last year...

...and the ones below from March 18, 2016.

So in the mean time, I'll share a few fun shots of my new little toy.

Well, would you look at that!
There's spring!



Alive and well, living inside of my little crystal ball!

 

But as you can see, it still doesn't look much like spring in my neck of the woods.
Even upside down. 😉
~ 

So while we're waiting for spring to appear,

how about let's getting on to the matter at hand...the Hodgepodge...

...where Joyce asks the questions and we answer them on our blogs.

1. On this first official day of spring tell us something (besides the weather) you're looking forward to in this season of the year.

This is weather-related but everything about spring seems to revolve around the weather, doesn't it? I am SO looking forward to seeing some color! February played a mean trick on us by getting so warm that many of the flowering trees bloomed and then just like that, the cold came back and zapped them. Also we will be heading for the hills of TN in a few weeks and that is never a disappointment, any time of year but springtime is especially lovely. Even though the selling of our house has been postponed for a bit, I am really looking forward to getting many of these projects completed so we can move forward when we get the green light.

2. When it comes to spring cleaning would you rather wash windows or wash baseboards? Windows...way easier on the knees :) Clean out closets or clean out the garage? I'd rather do the closets...less spiders...BUT the garage needs it most and it is at the top of our to-do list! Dust ceiling fans or dust bookcases? Ceiling fans because they are more obvious and I want to really be able see the fruits of my labor. Wipe down the patio furniture outside or wipe down the light fixtures inside? Patio furniture...who wipes down their light fixtures anyway? I can wipe down those inside light fixtures any old time. Any of these tasks recently completed? I would say that my closets are the least of my worries since I have done pretty well keeping them cleaned out since we got the floors last year. We have two new ceiling fans to replace two old ones so that is two less to clean the dust off of. It makes my heart sing to know that I will be throwing out the old dust with the old ceiling fans!

3. Your favorite thing to make/eat that calls for cream cheese? Cheese cake, any kind. Sour cream? I rarely make mashed potatoes but when I do, it's these...

...by adding a dollop or two of Daisy to these, everyone will think you slaved over a hot stove boiling those spuds! Whipped cream? Pumpkin pie, hands down!

 

4. I read here a list of commonly mispronounced words. What is a word that gives you trouble when it comes to pronunciation?

Okay, I admit it...I just may have been pronouncing a few of these wrong all of my life. So, sue me. February is probably the one I mispronounce most often...but it usually only happens in February since I don't usually discuss February when it's not February. I actually know the correct pronunciation but I choose not to add that first "r" when I say it. It just doesn't seem right some how.

5. What's a song you love with the word 'rain' in the title or lyrics?

"Rainy Days and Mondays" by the Carpenters. But here's another one of my faves...

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

This just in...here's the updated weather forecast:

Oh, Spring....where are you??