Was a lovely spring day today. About 45F with the sun shining, snow starting to quickly melt. Around the edge of the house snow has all gone, leaving the crushed undergrowth and grasses to come out and try to enjoy the sun and turn from the winter yellows to green.

I had to get the ice chopper, to clear the deck and walkway to the oil tank as I have some oil being delivered on Monday. We never know when winter will return for one last blast. In the paper today it said with the snow that fell last Monday we recieved 350 cm/140 inches of snow this winter. Wow we haven't had a winter that heavy in about 10 years.

My gardens are start to peek out from their winters nap. The big pines trees in the backyard have rained their pine needles everywhere. On the deck, on the grass in the flower beds, everywhere you look, pine needles. Wouldn't be so bad if the acid in then didn't kill grass, flowers and cover everywhere. I took the edge of the shovel I had been moving some snow with and uncovered the pine needles from a patch of the garden. to my surprise, here underneath was  a green patch of perinneal flowers, the leaves still wet from the snow, but they stood at attention as soon as I took the needles off.

I spoke to that patch of garden and said "there you go my darlings, the acid of the tree has gone and you are free to grow, and enjoy the sun." Their leaves twinkled in the sun and moved like they were waving at me.

I had cleared the path of most of the ice and snow that I could, the rest too thick for the chopper to cut through, I added some calicum carbonate....not toxic to plants or pets as my dog goes outside in the backyard, all the time and I don't want to hurt her feet or my plants and lawn.

My back told me enough for today, so I put my tools back into the garage and closed it up. I came to the front of the house, where the melting has been at a fast rate, as it's in the sun all day. I looked around the corner to see what I was going to need to trim besides the never ending Hydrainia bush and climbing rose bush, and what did I see?? The crocuses already blooming and patches of them coming up, thru the grasses and snow patches.

Then out of the corner of my eye I saw them, 3 young fairies in green, to blend in with the scenery I think, dancing and hopping around the crocuses. They are so happy spring is coming. They don't have to stay hidden any more and know they are safe here.

The covers I had over the rose bush has burlap inside and other bits of insulating things to keep the bush from freezing and so the fairies can take some to their lairs, to keep them warm when it is soooo cold out in the winter.

I watched them dance around the patch of crocuses, encouraging it to grow and bloom, and came inside to freshen up and leave the fairies to their work.

Have a lovely weekend!