New Beginnings

Spring is in the air! You can almost smell the flowers blooming and the fresh cut grass. The warmer days remind me that I'm way behind in getting ready for Spring. All that prep work in the yard, cleaning out beds, getting fresh mulch, pruning and planning. I still haven't decided what to do in the front yard since we leveled it last year - so for now, good ol' green turf will do just fine. But I'd love a shade tree of some sort because our house faces west and the front of it just cooks in the summer afternoon sun.

The pond is doing well. However, I await pollen season with mixed emotions. Love that everything is coming back to life but hate the green coating on everything - and it always wreaks havoc with my pond. Last year it turned so dark and black that I couldn't see fish or anything. I have started the maintenance treatment a little early this year in hopes that we don't have the same problem. Fishes are doing fine - growing nicely. The two larger koi have about doubled in size since last July when I introduced them to the water. The comets and shubunkins are doing nicely too. I can't wait for the spring pond plants to come in at Animal Jungle....the pond looks so bare right now.

Zippy is finally adjusting to being the only one in the house (at least of the four-legged variety). He's not quite as clingy as he was the first two weeks and seems to be settling down a bit. We are too for that matter.

POND ering Spring

OK - we got a real big tease today from Mother Nature. After we had howling winds and snow flurries last week, we got a dose of 75+ degrees today. Enough to open the windows, air the house out and get in the yard and pull some weeds. Ok, not my "ideal" day off, but at least I was outside! Tomorrow is supposed to be just as wonderful if not a tad warmer...I think the gang is meeting at the beach in the morning for a couple of rounds of Bocce Ball....I hope I remember how to play!

Schatze continues to amaze us and is hanging in there but we can tell she's not a happy camper anymore. She just looks uncomfortable all of the time. Our days together are numbered I am afraid. Zippy is well, just Zippy...some things never change. The groomer came last Thursday and he was not a happy camper at the time. But he quickly gets over it.

The new fish I put in the pond last summer have about tripled in size. Water temp is just at 50 but they aren't quite ready to eat yet. They're waiting on plants for places to hide. They feel very exposed right now. Songbirds galore today - you name it, we had it. Wrens, Chickadees, Cardinals, Robins, Sparrows, Titmice, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Blue Jays and of course, our resident Grackles.

Ahhh...the joys of spring (well, almost spring).

Hello Sunshine!

We finally saw the sun again! Hallelujah! I was beginning to feel like a mushroom because it's been rainy and drizzly for about the past 5 or 6 days. But yesterday, the sun came back to visit. Sure made for a great day and lifted everyones spirits. However, the weather doom and gloom folks on the local news are predicting yet more rain tomorrow (another Saturday shot?) and again the first of the week. At least we're getting some of that rain we were wishing for a few months back

Spring is upon us and we haven't done much of anything around the ol' ponderosa. "Hopefully" we will get to repair the tilted waterfall in the pond tomorrow before the rains set in. And I am really behind in getting all of my potted plants out - I usually have all of that done by Easter. Although, Easter was early this year so I don't feel quite so bad. I am hoping to get it done before the end of the month if the weather will cooperate. I'm going to try and keep it simple this year (that's way I say every year) and just put out my favorites: a few geraniums, maybe some begonias, a pot of basil, a pot of rosemary, some petunias for the front steps and maybe a tomato plant (I'm thinking some cherry tomatoes or sweet 100's this year).

Schatze is really showing her age. She is having a real hard time negotiating the three steps in and out of the house and garage. She likes the front steps better because they're wider and she has more of a landing to get started on. She slipped going up the garage steps the other day and all she could do was just kind of hang there until I could get to her and pick her up - only a matter of seconds, but it must have felt like an eternity to her.

Well - at least if it rains tomorrow we can catch the NCIS marathon on USA Network! Here's hoping for good weather (I think - that's a toss up!).

Spring Fever

Today was an absolutely wonderful day - I think we reached the upper 60's, had light winds, the sun was out, the Bradford Pears are blooming, daffodils are showing off - what's not to like? Tomorrow is supposed to be a carbon copy of today - I wonder how many folks will call in sick (or well?) and play hooky for the day? I wish I could, but I have too much to do for a Friday. Oh well...there will be other days.