Spring forward into Spring

You may have noticed some early signs of Spring showing up.  Winter was no big deal again this year outside of some staggering rainfall.  If December seemed uncommonly wet to you, “You ain’t wrong”.  December of 2023 is in the record books as the wettest EVER here in Virginia.  

I keep waiting for a few days to till up and repair the part of our property that was destroyed by my wife’s horses.  When they arrived, they were standing on grass and I thought they were all set.  After a month or so of one downpour after another, the grass was GONE.  It had been trampled under the surface like quicksand.  My plan is still to rent a tractor with a rototiller attachment to prepare the area to be re-seeded but I’m afraid I’ll lose the entire tractor – tiller and all – in the swamp.  

But today as I was walking to my car, I saw the first couple signs of Spring with flowers already starting to bloom.  The time change and Easter both seem early to me this year but I guess they are on schedule.  

I don’t remember seeing these plants here last Summer/Fall when we moved in but here they are.  My wife is guessing they are some kind of tulips planted by the previous home owners.  Saturday when I walked out late at night, I couldn’t tell what this was but they were all frosted up and I just saw this white line along the woods.  So many things make me stop and ask, “What is that?”  

As my wife was talking with one of the workmen delivering the barn, he said, “This isn’t even the rainy season”.  That’ll stop you in your tracks.  (DEEP tracks).  But he’s right.  April showers are a real thing.  I always hear people say, “We need the water” and we do but wow.  I want to turn off the faucet for a week or so.  I spent a  few years in the west and it renewed my appreciation for water falling out of the sky.  They have none and it’s getting worse.  So, let’s all go play in the rain and get ready for Spring.