In the cold North, Spring comes in gradually. Maybe it is because Winter is overstaying its time, and I watch more carefully to spot Spring’s coming, but every year I notice the small things that tell me that we are moving ever so slowly to the pleasant and fruitful days of the year.
Very Early Spring, Katherine Mansfield
The fields are snowbound no longer;
There are little blue lakes and flags of tenderest green.
The snow has been caught up into the sky–
So many white clouds–and the blue of the sky is cold.
Now the sun walks in the forest,
He touches the bows and stems with his golden fingers;
They shiver, and wake from slumber.
Over the barren branches he shakes his yellow curls.
Yet is the forest full of the sound of tears….
A wind dances over the fields.
Shrill and clear the sound of her waking laughter,
Yet the little blue lakes tremble
And the flags of tenderest green bend and quiver.
Perhaps the first thing I notice is sound. The birds begin to sing each morning. They know that spring is coming.
In my garden, forsythia is the promise of days to come.
The bulbs plants begin to bloom soon after, first the snowdrops, crocus and grape hyacinth, then the daffodils, and the tulips. My mother once gave me a wonderful gift; she planted a spring bulb garden for me near my front door, so that I would see it each time I stepped outside. I looked forward to that each morning as I left for work.
Have you ever noticed that one sunny day when you are driving or walking down your street there seems to be a green haze in the air, as the leaves unfurl? Even though you have been waiting and watching for it, all of a sudden that day arrives!
Stella's Place 
Happy Tuesday, Stellars…welcome to springtime around the world….
Texas Hill Country…
Rome, Italy (showing St. Peter’s Basilica and the Tiber River)…
Flora und Botanischer Garten, Cologne, Germany…
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Madrid, Spain…
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Fall may well be full of color, but Spring is full of rebirth! Born Again! This Winter seemed to be void of bird life. I have looked for the Wintering bird life and it appears to be missing. Wonder if that Ohio ordeal had anything to do with that.
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Mornin’ y’all!
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Yup, distraction will do it. (See Tucker thread from his show last night.)
Mornin’ Wee and all ya’all. Only got to 36* last night, and we are not predicted for any more low temps for at least the next week, maybe not till November.
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Mornin’ Czarina! Yup, keeping my fingers crossed so the plants can go back outside here, too.
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Mornin’ Wee!
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Mornin’ Stella!
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I don’t know how true this is, but it sure is creepy.
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Mornin’ All. 25* and sunny here. The snow is melting and the ground doesn’t feel frozen any more. I know this is not the end of winter, though.
Still watching to see if they arrest Trump. It will be a stupid thing to do on their part.
Enjoy your days.
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Good morning, mom! Sunny and 50° here! I’m hoping we have seen the last of the snow.
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Hey aus, just a warning….when it warms up, the frost is pushed deeper into the ground and it becomes more imperative that you continue to let your faucets drip to protect your water lines from freezing….[:0) I learned that little piece of science the hard way…]
It’s about 5 degrees here this morning and it doesn’t look like we have much warmth in our forecast..
Stay warm….
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Thanks for the advice. But, when I first got here I asked the maintenance man what I needed to know about water dripping, etc. He said that wasn’t necessary because the buildings were built with the water pipes insulated and on the inside of the buildings. I guess they knew what they were doing. He said they had never had a leak except from a sprinkler head out on one patio that must have had an opening in the insulation. Glad I didn’t have to worry about it.
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I’m the only one on my water line and I don’t use enough water to keep water moving in the underground main line. A few winters ago, we had a couple of beautiful spring days and then the temperatures dropped. The main water line bringing water into my home, not my inside pipes, froze.
Because you live in a populated area where people are always using water and the water in the main lines keeps moving, you probably don’t have to worry about the outside lines freezing aus, but for me, the frost being pushed deeper does pose a danger, so I keep my taps open long after the first warm days of spring :0)
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Good day, litenmaus! When I first moved to the Panhandle, I kept my taps dripping. One morning I went into the master bath to discover the water pressure in the sink pipe had spewed water all over the place. LOL!
I haven’t left anything but the tub faucet dripping after that and make sure the shower curtain is pulled across.
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Afternoon Lucille….First winter I moved back to Montana, I had the water dripping in my bathroom sink and I woke up to the sound of water hitting the floor. I figured out that the cat had tried to drink from the sink and had stepped on the sink plunger in the process. A lesson learned and yep, I now only leave the water running in the unplugged tub. :0)
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LOL! What did people do up here when house piping was not common and non-winterized wells were the source of bath, washing clothes, etc. water? Don’t know if I want to expend the time to look it up unless the question keeps gnawing at me…hahaha!
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I have lived in a house with a well house. I don’t know why it didn’t freeze in the winter, but I imagine it was well insulated, and pipes were below the freeze line. The water was certainly below the freeze line, and the well house wasn’t heated.
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during the 18 years my hubby and I were back in Minnesota, we remembered and knew to practice this as well: a couple of times we made winter trips to visit family out of state, which meant the house is going to be standing cold and empty. Even then, heating was way too expensive to keep the house heated when we were not home.
So we did what ya do in that situation: all of the pipes inside the house are drained and the entire water system shut down before you leave home. And the external pipes are well insulated to endure.
I grew up with such vulnerabilities, but even so–familiar as the defensive actions were–it still made for a feeling of vulnerability then it would get 20-30 below, with highs below zero each day, perhaps lasting for 5-6 days. A very real feeling of vulnerability.
In those kinds of circumstances–that was one time we would leave our front porch light on all night in case someone was walking on the empty county road, trying to save their own life. In fact, we would leave a door unlocked if we were leaving home for a few hours, so that if anyone was on foot and trying to save their life, they could get inside to be safe.
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I turn off my water in the basement whenever I leave for any extended period, and run the taps/flush the toilet to remove most of the water in case of a plumbing failure. A coworker of mine had a huge mess when his toilet shut-off valve failed, and his wood floors were ruined. I do this any time of year, just in case. I don’t turn off my heat in the winter, but I do turn it down. My indoor cat is at home!
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Everywhere else I have lived, I have had to drip the water, too.
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How wonderful! Taking a snooze in the sunshine. I just looked it up and for those who believe in that spirituality, mountain goats are a symbol of abundance and trust.
Here’s a bunch of photos of various mountain goat species…the first one looks like this guy, only younger….
https://unsplash.com/photos/QPkCowqYG2A
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Biden Issues First Veto as President – This Is How It Impacts You
By Warner Todd Huston – March 20, 2023 at 3:43pm
“Two Senate Democrats, Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Jon Tester (Mont.) joined Republicans in opposing the Biden administration policy, saying they felt it was a case of government overreach that would impose a policy agenda on Americans’ retirement accounts,” The Hill newspaper reported.
https://www.westernjournal.com/biden-issues-first-veto-president-impacts/
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EMOTIONAL Reunion Between Homeless Man And Stranger 😢❤️
@bondpeter #shorts
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Perfect.
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Yep!
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The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) appears to be just another leftist scam. Wisconsin uses it and their 2020 election results were definitely suspicious.
A Gigantic Egg All Over Brad Raffensperger’s Face
By Jay Valentine – March 20, 2023
Last week, when Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger publicly supported ERIC after it was tossed out of Florida, West Virginia, and Missouri, we issued the Raffensperger Challenge. The Raffensperger Challenge is the application of Fractal analysis to any entity that currently uses ERIC.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2023/03/a_gigantic_egg_all_over_brad_raffenspergers_face.html
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Oh, yes, Idaho is the source of some super fine laws that just give lefties apoplexy….
Liberals Melt Down After Idaho Passes Bill to Allow Execution of Death Row Inmates by Firing Squad
By Cullen Linebarger Mar. 21, 2023 8:30 am
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/liberals-melt-down-after-idaho-passes-bill-to-allow-execution-of-death-row-inmates-by-firing-squad/
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