Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Waiting Impatiently For Spring

We've had some lovely warmer days on the mountain top recently, which have me more than ready to welcome spring with wide open arms.

But alas, the cold weather is heading our way once more, and I must try to be patient. 

Patience is not my strong suit. 

The gardener in me screams, NO MORE FROSTS! But the realist in me knows that April on the mountain top is hardly the last we'll see of old man winter.

Nights are dipping back to the 30's tonight, and I see in our forecast a night or two in the 20's. I sure hope that changes or I may have to cover some of my plants! 


The trees all have buds, and some have started to get that lovely soft green glow so typical of early spring. 


The pollen count is extremely high, and I suffer with allergies on a constant basis. Yet I can't keep myself from wandering the gardens morning and evening, looking for any new signs of growth.


I see the first flowers appearing on the Forsythia, and the perennial bed has lots of growth and promise for a flower filled future. 

The worst of the three horrible rosebushes was dug out this past weekend, and boy did it put up a fight! 

I've been working long, hard hours in the garden getting it ready for spring, and Sweetie's been working on a project of his own....solving a drainage issue in the back garden. 

The man's a pure genius, he never ceases to amaze me with the solutions he comes up with! 


Easter came and went, and we celebrated with dear friends gathered around the table. 


The other couples worked it out between themselves who was bringing starters, and who was bringing dessert. How adorable is this sweet Bunny crudités platter!!

We ate very well, and the wine and laughter flowed all evening. It was a glorious Easter celebration!


A local chef shared his haul of foraged wild ramps with us, and the turkey was stuffed with a handful of ramps and rubbed with butter and herbs and roasted to perfection for our Easter meal. Caramelized ramps topped the turkey slices when served, and there are many more ramp leaves in the fridge waiting to be made into a compound butter. 

Spring in the mountains is a forager's dream! 


The back garden is still a mucky mess, with all the snow melt contributing to the mud caused by the frequent rain. 

April showers lead to May flowers, as we all know, so we must be patient with the rain....meanwhile the Hyacinths have opened by the path to the veggie garden, which lifts my spirits on these gloomy days. 


The babies have cabin fever after a long winter, and are anxious to play Chuck It whenever the ground is remotely dry enough for them to run around. 

Molly got the ball for the first time since her arrival, and Monkey was not one bit pleased with the situation - she was busy yelling at us all when I snapped this shot, and believe me, she is LOUD!


Mucky games in the garden and her penchant to roll in anything stinky means Miss Molly has been getting frequent baths in the sink. After her bath, she runs around the house like a complete lunatic, doing her 'zoomies' all around the dining room table and the living room....and then she settles in for a treat as a reward for being such a cute little crackpot. 


All that running around leads to one conked out pup! 


One on each chair, that's the norm in my house on a daily basis. The Monkey isn't quite as flamboyant about her afternoon naps....with the exception of her snoring, which can be heard from the kitchen....even her snoring is loud!


The days are longer and there's so much to be done, both inside and out. I try to keep up with it all, but my to-do list grows daily. 


In the evenings after the dinner dishes have been cleared up, the pups and I settle down to rest our weary bones. I have such a feeling of tremendous peace at the end of the evening meal, when the kitchen is clean again and all the chores of the day are but a distant memory.


My oil diffuser is always on the go in the evening to clear the house of stale cooking smells. 

My oils of choice lately have been citrus based - orange, lemon, lime, bergamot, lemongrass - they just scream spring to me. 


The living room got a good spring cleaning over the weekend, with the woodstove emptied and shut down for the season. Everything got a good scrub and some spring colors were brought in to liven up the house. 

The furnace has also been shut off for the season, and I'm taking advantage of my solar panels to provide free electric heat on chilly nights - hey, anything to keep those oil bills down and help out the budget! 

I brought my little Duraflame heater up from downstairs to take the chill out of the air, and it's just wonderful! I'll keep it up here until I start the woodstove back up again in the fall...it's perfect to add a little extra ambiance in addition to keeping us toasty warm! 

Tonight's drop into the lower 30's means the leftover turkey will become soup, served with a nice crusty bread warm from the oven. But soon those meals will shift to the outdoors, with the grill being the focus for our evening meals.

How's spring shaping up in your neck of the woods? Has it arrived to stay or is it just teasing like ours?

31 comments:

  1. hahaha. We used to love to was our dog just to see it run like crazy around the house. It was always the funniest sight!
    I've never heard of "Ramps". I need to google that one.
    Lisa

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    1. Ramps are also known as wild leeks, Lisa - they have a taste between a scallion and a mild garlic. This was my first time cooking with them, thanks to our chef friend!

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  2. We are in full spring here. The trees are all leafed out, hyacinths have finished blooming. The roses are budding, the grass is green and needs it's first mowing. I have planted my veggies in the raised beds and we are enjoying some lovely high 70's days with 50's at night.

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    1. Perfect temps, Penny!! Most of the shrubs/trees are budding now, and I'm concerned about the temps I see in the mid 20's coming up....praying that changes!

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  3. Once the snow starts to melt it is even harder to wait.

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    1. So true, Marty! Once I see things greening up I want to rush them along to see blooms....but I have to learn some patience.

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  4. Thank you for sharing pictures of your warm,cozy home. It makes me want to grab a pup,a throw and snuggle the stuffing of of them. Hang in there,springs a comin!

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    1. They get plenty of snuggles, Savannah, believe me! Those pups are spoiled rotten!!

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  5. You are welcome to send some of that colder weather our way! We've been in the 80s more times than not and I'm afraid that means we are in for a horridly hot summer! Love and hugs!

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    1. Wow, spring hops right into summer in your area, Benita - I don't know how you do it! I imagine A/C must be your best friend!

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  6. I swear molly must be related to Stella lol

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  7. It is doubly hard to wait for spring when there is a brief spell that teases with its warmth. I think spring has finally come to our mountain for good, the flowers are coming out all over! Your doggies are just adorable. Every one we have ever had has done the tearing around thing after a bath too. I think they are just so happy that it is over, but maybe they like begin clean.

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    1. I always thought it must just feel so good for them to be clean, Carole, but now you've got me wondering....is it just that they are so happy for the 'torture' to be over? And how can it be torture when I use warm water and speak so nicely to them while I'm massaging them with sweet bubbles? Some torture, ha ha!

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  8. Starting to feel hints of summer's heat and humidity down here in s.e. FL.

    Did those roses ever bloom for you? I'm sorry you had to dig them up, but, that's the way it goes sometimes.

    Your home and decorating style is lovely as always.

    Happy Spring ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Yikes, it must be tough dealing with the heat and humidity of summer for so long, Lorraine, but I guess you get used to it like anything else, right? And at least you don't have our crazy winters!

      One of the roses bloomed but it seems to be a wild rose that belongs in the woods,not in the center of a garden. It has tiny nickle sized white single blooms en masse...nothing worth keeping in the center of the garden, and it got massive every year despite being cut way back. Overwhelming the rest of the garden completely. The other two have never bloomed, and I think one is dead. I left the other but cut it back, we'll see if it does better without being strangled by the one I dug out.

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  9. With the buds coming on the trees and some flowers beginning to show even with the temps dipping again I think Mother Nature is well on her way to Spring in the Mountain too. We are finally getting decent weather in Illinois. More sun and warmer temps to open up windows. I love that everything is coming back to life again.
    Hang in there I am sure in the next couple of weeks you will begin to see Spring come and stay. So happy we finally got rid of old man winter.
    Molly and Monkey are soooooo adorable.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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    1. I can see the green creeping up from the base of the mountain....it's about a third of the way up now, Kris, and it's always interesting to watch it change day by day. In fall the color starts at the top and works its way down....so beautiful!

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  10. Your table looked so pretty for Easter! I bet everyone wants to be invited to your house. And I love those dogs. I can tell Monkey is having quite the fit. Was cold/cool here for a few days.
    Brenda

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    1. I keep watching Sunday night - it's going to be mid twenties...I'm praying that changes, Brenda!

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  11. What a beautiful place you have. I bet you do have spring fever. I wish I lived some place I could go get ramps in the spring. Yours are just lovely. They made my mouth water looking at the pictures. Your dogs are very cute too. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. I hope you have have a nice evening.

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    1. I have severe spring fever, you are so right! All I want to do is be outside....but alas the weather is against me again today, with cold rain falling. The flowers and plants will like it though, and that's what matters!

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  12. It's raining today and hopefully that will help wash away more of the snow.... The temperatures need to warm up though , if we are to have any Springtime pleasures. I'm encouraged by seeing a few green sprouts popping their heads up.. Three days ago we had a nother freak snow storm.... So thank goodness we have sweet fur-babies to keep us entertained ... Your pet pictures say it all( ha Ha)..They do keep us laughing don't they!!! Your house looks so warm and cosy..It would be easy to curl up on the couch and enjoy a warm cup of tea beside that little dura flame and I do love the infusion of oils...It looks pretty relaxing to me ... ENJOY your week-end....Hugs

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    1. The weekend was blustery and cold, Zaa, with nighttime temps in the mid 20's! I was awfully worried about all the little plants popping up but they seem to have made it through...whew!

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  13. My heavens, it is cold where you are. I hope soon you will be rid of it. I love the way the light streams in over your dining table. So peaceful looking. It's supposed to be in the 80's here tomorrow. I rather have the windy cooler weather like we had today.
    betsy

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    1. Wow, Betsy, 80's already! Meanwhile we were in the mid 20's Sunday night! It's chilly and damp today, with rain expected every day this week...the plants will love it, no doubt!

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  14. Strangely enough, when I comment on your blog via my iPad, the comment never shows up. So, you have missed a lot of what I have had to say (Dodged a bullet there, I think!). I had previously commented on this post, but let me try again via my desktop. In a few words, I love it! Love the way that you capture the light across your dining table with those gorgeous tulips, love that darling crudités plate with the bunny head holding the dip, and love looking at your lovely piece of property come to life.

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    1. How strange, Pattie, I wonder why that is??? Well I'm glad you're here now, and thanks as always for your sweet words!!

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  15. We're still getting the darn rain! But, at least things are starting to bloom - Your house always looks so warm and inviting - and those pups, just adorable.

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    1. Ha ha my pups really steal the show, Karen Ann, those little rascals!! It's been gloomy here, cold, cloudy, rainy....but the green is starting to creep up the mountain so that's exciting! It's the faintest haze as of yet but changing daily!

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  16. YOur pups are so cute and talk about personalities! We have been dealing with some freezes here and I pray they are over since the cherry tree and the apple tree are starting to set out their blooms. The new plants that I bought at Home Depot and Loews last weekend when Jeff and I were away are now living in the hot tub enclosure on top of the hot tub cover to keep them from freezing.

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