Spring, Maybe

Miniature daffodils planted last fall out of spite after a deer-caused car accident. Behind them are deer-cropped tulips.

This week's snow storm was cancelled. My dog has been walked three days in a row. Crocuses are almost gone and there are leaves coming out on the lilacs.

Weeds are coming out too, lots of them. Yard jobs that were previously hidden under snowbanks are now painfully visible.

I should be outside working. My dad certainly is. So are the bees. Every patch of flowers is buzzing. I was even able to capture a few bees with my beginning photography skills and aged iPhone.

These violets are officially weeds. They grow anywhere we let them. This time of year their color is appreciated.

I've got poisonous, deer-resistant daffodils coming up everywhere. There can't be too much yellow this time of year.

The loudest buzzing comes from my parents' apricot tree, always the first orchard tree to bloom, which is why frost kills all the fruit six years out of seven.

Though I know we haven't seen our last snowflakes of the year, I am ready to, tentatively, call it spring.

THE PODCAST this week is spring-themed too. Emily Dickinson's poem, "A Lady red—amid the Hill," talks about early spring breezes sweeping the woods in preparation for a special guest. Who the guest may be is known only by the woods. Listen to discover the secret. 

THE KNITTING

Is making slow progress. I don't feel as kitty in warming weather as I do in cooling. The sleeves are almost finished on my Christmas sweater. Right now it is looking awfully heavy, and quite autumn-colored.

I still have the sweater body to knit. LDS General Conference is this weekend, which means 10 hours of church on TV and lots of knitting time. Finishing is a possibility unless I run out of yarn first, which is looking likely. I have 3 1/2 skeins left, plus more of the mixed color for the bottom. It will be close.

I've finished spinning the Corriedale from Beesybee. I'm still planning to dye it, probably light green, and am now considering making myself a skirt. That is brave for someone of my girth. But it is a strong yarn and is saying skirt to me right now, so I'll give it a try. The nice thing about knitting is it pulls apart nicely, so if a skirt doesn't please me, I can recycle it into another very warm sweater.

Dyeing is planned for Monday. To you normal people dyeing eggs instead, Happy Easter. May you have a beautiful, enjoyable spring.