I tell you, it's been raining nonstop here, something else! I'm dying to get out and play in the dirt! Raging creeks and boot suckin' mud. Even washed out one bridge and a couple fences. Downed the hotwire in a dozen places.

But, I tell you....are things growing! Oh yes. Wow, you can practically hear the grass! And soooo green, that knock your eyeballs out, GREEN. Like winter wheat. I love spring, it's my favorite time of year...so ripe with new beginnings, the season spread out ahead with all it's possibities...

My mock orange is blooming, and the peonies just started bursting open, you can smell them through the open windows. The lilac is done, as well as the glory of daffs and tulips. Only a few blooms left on the fruit trees. Airy daisies dancing in midair along the fenceline, wild phlox billowing the creek banks. I noticed the mulberry tree is going to have alot of fruit...I know some folks hate the mess, but I like them, we had one in the backyard when I was a kid, and a weeping willow whose branches we used to whip each other with! I still like them as well, despite that! The clematis is already weighing down the trellis and I wonder if it needs more freedom to really go wild...maybe an arbor over the walkway? That stupid Mimosa is still bone bare, I keep threatening myself with cutting it down. At least I got the bigger cottonwood down last year, it was HUGE, glad it fell right(ie, not directly on the house where it was leeaning)...course a dozer pulling it, helped. ;) No fluff to drive me nuts this spring! The mayapples are rows and rows of umbrellas in the woods, and that tiny starlike white wildflower that I always thought was bloodroot, but isn't. I haven't looked for mushrooms, but I bet the morels are everywhere!

In the barn, the swallows have hatched out lots of chicks, and their aerodynamic manuevers are constant as they feed them. Whizzing by your head, looping and catapulting around, seeming to defy gravity. I haven't seen that big 'ol blacksnake that hung out in the rafters last year, and acted like he was at an "all you can eat". I think he moved into the back shed, I found an awfully big snakeskin in there. Good luck for the swallows. The pigeons in the loft have also hatched out chicks....but no sign of the owl.

I saw that doe that lives in the top pasture has twins. And the turkeys are back, grazing fearlessly close to the house. The stallion is prancy and squeally, poisoned by testosterone. The goats are leapy, even the older ones have traded in their layabout cud chewing ways and race around snorting and cavorting with the yungun's, it makes me smile. The llama has been in a foul mood, don't know what his problem is, he keeps tut-tut-tuting everyone, ears laid back..what a grump. The bullfrogs are singing their hearts out, and the turtles basking in any spare ray of sunshine. Whip-poor-wills singing me to sleep at night. Ah, spring. :)

So, what's bloomin' in your neck of the woods?

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow1@aol.com), May 17, 2002

Answers

Nothing! The Poplar are just beginning to eek out some litle tiny leaves, I think. The grass is bearly growing, poor horses! We need some of your rain and some warmth. 20's for a low tonight.

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), May 17, 2002.

Patty, you sang that melody with such a beautiful voice I'll just take the song to bed with me! What a beautiful dream that makes. Life IS good!

Don't you just ache for the people who have never, ever, experienced a single one of those things!

-- Granny Hen (cluckin along@cs.com), May 17, 2002.

I had snow flurries ysterday morning,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), May 18, 2002.

It's been raining here for what seems like forever. Last night we had close to 4 inches, but I should be happy we didn't get what the northeast corner of KY got- almost 10 inches since Thursday. Like you Patty everything is blooming & so green in KY. My peonies are almost finished as are the irises. All of the roses are in full,glorius bloom. My climbing roses are already 8ft tall and the hilly pasture we're trying to let reforest is full of oak & maple saplings. There's wildflowers everywhere some I've never seen here before. My chicks have hatched and the ducks should hatch by Fathers Day. Those muscovies are really grumpy when setting! I haven't seen any new deer but last years triplets come to the pastures and the salt block I put out for them. Out on the 'back 40' I hear the turkeys but they haven't come up by the house or barns for a couple of months. The new bunnies have been born and are out munching in the yard,while the squirrels and chipmonks raid my feeders which is fine with me - I'll feed them all. For the first two years we were here there wasn't a squirrel or chipmonk around so I'm really happy that they've finally found us. Today is supposed to be much cooler, I think the high is around 62 but the sun is coming out and it will warm back up next week. The weatherman says no rain for the next 5 days-yippee maybe I will get some lawn work done. Tonight we have the possibility of frost so I'm covering the tender plants just in case. Have a good weekend, KA

-- Kathy Aldridge (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), May 18, 2002.

You know I keep whining about our weather, I am sorry, it is soooo boring tolisten too! Granny is right you muxt have a lot of beauty there. We do have signs of spring, my hummers and oeriols are back and the other song birds are so abundant. My feeders are a riot of color, yellow of the gold finches pinky- purple of the purple gold finch, blue of the blue birds(not on the feeders), all the sparrows are back and the warbblers, wood peckers, thrushes, and all of the other not so beautiful looking birds are filling the air with their songs. So just because I don't have flowers and that bright green to look at I have garish birds to look at and listen to.

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), May 18, 2002.

Beautiful writing, Patty! I can almost smell the peonies! I like cottonwood fluff myself - makes terrific batting for fairy pillows and comforters!

Susan Nanaboo; if I lived in MN; I'd be whining too! Heck, I live in IL and I'm whining. There probably are beautiful things all around us too - it's just darned hard to see them for all the mud and through the fogged up windows! Our spring will come!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), May 18, 2002.

Oh shoot, y'all are to kind! :) Some things get me waxing sentimental is all, and I get soooo blue in the winter, spring is a true delight to me...prolly should strap a growlight on my forehead or something! lol.

Granny, I guess some folks don't try to see the beauty around them, no matter what form it takes, I'm working on that myself, you know, "Zen and the art of waiting in line at the DMV.." lol Sorry, no I know what you mean, only.....people are strange, some have absolutely no connection to the "land", so to speak, and desire none...yes, it is indeed, sad....

Kathy, it sounds a bit like here. But, I imagine it's probably so much more lovely, I've always wanted to spend time there and in Tennessee...I've only passed through..just enough to want to stay awhile! Here it's such a quiet beauty, you really have to listen at times! Not rugged peaks and surf crashing....more like a lazy bee buzzing kind of existence.

Polly, that's neat about using the fluff, I always meant to do something with it besides ptooing it out of my mouth. I felt bad about the tree, but it was not 15 feet from the house!

Poor folks in the north! I'm sorry. I talk to a few of then crazy Canadians, and I feel for them! Until I think of summers here, a zillion degrees and horrible humidity!!! UGH.

Spring is on the way for you guys, take heart!

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow1@aol.com), May 18, 2002.

Yesterday the trees were all just budding. Today they turned green. Spring has arrived. The geese are gone, moved on north to their breeding grounds, the Sandhill Cranes are overhead with their croaking, Swans are moving through in small bunches and the robins are here in force.

We still have hay in the field from the cutting in October and with another day like today, we will get it baled and off the field. The parking lot at my wifes greenhouse has been full constantly and hanging baskets are almost all sold. Got our shipment of trees and shrubs from Baileys on Wednesday and got them all potted. Bedding plants are going like crazy and with luck the trees and shrubs will follow. I see lots of cow moose that look heavy with calf on the Matanuska flats promising a good calf crop this year and hopefully a good moose harvest in years to come. Black and Grizzle bear are out in force and with a little luck I will bag one of each. Life is good here in Alaska and next week, I will have the boat in the water chasing the giant King Salmon.

For those having flooding problems down in America, you have my sympathy, however, keep in mind it is all part of the natural plan for replenishment and your land will be better because of the flooding. (Trailer Parks excluded of course).

-- Mac in Ak (nospam@no.spam), May 18, 2002.

Okay I feel better now thanks Patty for reminding me about the temp. differences. Heee, heee! Although it is cooler here it is beautiful. The ski has that chrystal clear quality of fall days, and the wildlife is going crazy. There is nothing like 50 below zero to make 60 look like t-shirt weather.

The geese are here, uggg! I sure wish you all would train them to stay south. I did see a willow with leaves on it yesterday, the others are soom to fallow.

I have to say that the cool weatehr is really nice for getting some serious outside work done. Very little chance of getting over heated, somthing I suffer from easily.

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), May 19, 2002.

...oooooo, sounds breathtaking Mac! I bet your wife is busy, everyone seems to have a bad case of spring fever!

-- Patty (Sycamorehollow1@aol.com), May 20, 2002.