Hope Springs

Two days of sunshine and warmth have brought out the best in all of us here.  All three of the Silkies and four of the bigger hens laid eggs yesterday.  The goats, with more opportunity to graze, stepped up milk production.  I crossed off some major items on the To-Do list.  Bessie Anne moved from beside my chair to the front porch to doze in the afternoon sun.  It felt like we were all coming out of hibernation.  Cruising the deck in the early morning, I cleaned out a lot of the winter dead stuff from the potted plants.  It's a bit worrisome because many plants are putting out new green and it's way too soon.  This is just a brief respite...winter isn't finished with us yet, but it sure feels good while we've got it.  Beginning at dusk and carrying on well into the night, the frog chorus tuned up and burst into song.  The little tree peepers sing tenor, all the way down to the basso profundo of the bullfrogs.  Every pond, puddle, and damp spot in the road must have a choir of frogs, all singing at the top of their lungs.  The sunshine has got me thinking "garden" again.  All my good intentions went for naught last year, strengthening my determination to get the beds ready and planted this spring (after the ground thaws).  The seed catalogs have started to arrive, and I'm drooling at the thought of those wonderful fresh vegetables.  Tree Guy is due sometime today.  The sky looks clear and it should be another great day to work outside.