What Happened to Spring?

 

I’m still here!  There is certainly no danger of me posting too often.  However, I do sometimes get sidetracked by other things going on.  Maybe someday I will learn to blog more regularly!

Back to Spring.  What happened to it?  A week or two ago we had a few Spring days and I actually got some yard work done and even mowed the grass.  Our Redbud tree bloomed beautifully and I had all the windows open in the house.  Open windows always make our cats happy and me too for that matter. 

Redbud Tree on 4-19-21

Then we suddenly went back into nights below freezing and this past Tuesday we woke up to two inches of snow.  I have heard from so many friends from many different areas that have also had Spring snows this year.  My main concern is that we could go from Winter straight into Summer and miss out on those wonderful Spring days.  We’ve done that a lot here and our Summers can get really hot.  I’m not complaining though because I do love the changing of the seasons! 

Redbud Tree with snow on 4-20-21
(Sorry for the bad picture, it was taken through the window screen.)

 

Tom and I have managed to stay busy indoors.  We had a ceiling fan that stopped working and was not able to be repaired.  We have always been do-it-yourselfers so we bought a new ceiling fan with a light and decided to replace it ourselves.  We first had to take the old one down and then install the new one.  Tom is still having trouble with his balance and it is unsafe for him to do much climbing, so guess who did the work?  Yep, I did most of it myself!  I did have some help and direction from Tom but I got the old one down and the new one up mostly by myself.  Tom did get the main motor of the fan attached to the ceiling because it was too heavy for me to hold over my head.  I got all the blades attached and the light kit installed.  I was kind of proud of myself! 

Last weekend I went over to my youngest son’s house to help him put up some new drapes in two rooms.  Sean is a single guy and has never been that good with things like drapes, so I helped him out.  It was also nice to get to visit with him too.  I think I’ve done my share of home installation projects for a bit now!

That is what has been going on here recently.  I heard our weather man say next week our temps might get into the 80’s F so that could be Summer coming!  I hope everyone is well and happy.  Take care! 

Sophie & Zeus say Hi!                          

Sophie

Zeus

 

Reflections

 

Last Thursday, March 11^th was an anniversary of sorts.  On that day one year ago the World Health Organization declared that we were in a pandemic.  It seemed so strange at first because for many of us the problems with Covid were “somewhere far away”.  Well, that didn’t last long.  I remember checking a map online that illustrated the growth and spread of Covid across the world.  That quickly changing map combined with the constant news reports made us realize it was soon to be almost everywhere.  Then we had the sudden rush for food and supplies followed by many empty shelves in the stores and it truly felt like we were living in a science fiction movie.  Even today, a year later, when I go out and see everyone in masks it just doesn’t seem real.                                                               

We have been living a chapter in history that our ancestors will read about in the future.  There have certainly been pandemics before but nothing like this in my lifetime.  Fortunately, history is being made in another way that will hopefully lead us out of this pandemic.  Vaccines have never been developed as quickly as the ones we have now and after just a few months we are seeing a difference already.  We now have hope that we are really coming out of this.  Not only is Spring coming, but also hopefully, a gradual return to a more normal life. 

Many people have said that the past year has changed them in both positive and negative ways.  I know I don’t feel the same as I did a year ago.  I’ve been far less active and as a result do not feel as physically fit.  The lack of contact with other people has also left its mark on me, as I’m sure it has for others as well.  On the positive side, I’ve learned to appreciate so many things in life that I took for granted before the pandemic.  I hope that lesson will stay with me.  Has the past year changed you, and if so how?       

Spring is on the way and a more normal life is getting closer.

 

 

Spring, Birds and a Bit of a Rant...

I've always loved Spring despite the ups and downs we get with the weather here.  We've had sporadic sunny days and a good portion of rainy, stormy days as usual.  A few weeks ago we had our usual short Spring snowfall and tomorrow night we are supposed to get a hard freeze.  Overall, it has been nice and we have even started to welcome the Spring and Summer birds back.  I was finally able to get our hummingbird feeder out which always makes me happy.  I try to wait for any freezes to be past us before I put it out.  They must have been waiting because it was not out ten minutes before the hummingbirds started coming to it!  We have it hanging on our deck in front of the glass door so our cats can watch it.  Sophie, our female cat, loves those hummingbirds so much and talks to them whenever they show up.  I have not been able to get any hummingbird pictures yet but I did get a few pictures of some other birds.  These were taken with my phone so they are not the best quality of pictures.  I have tried to identify them but I could be wrong.  If I am incorrect, I welcome any identification anyone can offer ! 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Goldfinch

Goldfinch

 

This isolation is starting to wear on me as I am sure it is with others too.  Our state has started opening up in some areas but not yet in the county where I live.  We start phase one Monday so I guess we will see how it goes.  One thing I have noticed lately is that there now seems to be two kinds of people.  One kind wears masks when in public, stays home and tries to follow the recommendations of the CDC and the medical community.  The other kind seems to think the first kind of people have either imagined Covid-19 or they are blindly following scaremongers and the press.  This is extremely frustrating to me.  I do know you can not believe everything you hear on the news and there are always going to be people that make things sound worse than they are in reality.  But come on, there are over a million cases just in the U.S. and there are almost 10,000 cases in the state where I live.  If nothing else you should have respect for those that have died and for their families.  

Okay, that's my rant.  Thanks for listening.  I hope everyone is healthy and enjoying the improving weather and whatever beautiful birds and wildlife you have where you live.  If you've taken the time to read this - I appreciate you for being here.