Springtime is here!!

Ahh, the forsythia. It's so bright, it almost hurts to look at.  It's shining everywhere this week!

The plum tree is in full bloom!
It is buzzing with honey bees and little droning bugs.
This tree's floral explosion is my tipping point for spring.
Now, I've got to hang on while the season picks up speed. May is so filled with huge transformation and stunning beauty. I want to soak it all in after 6 months of cold and snow.

                                                         Hello there beautiful!
                          Bumble Bees moving from flower to flower. Look at the pollen on those stamens!

Georgia and Cookie play in the mud, the wood frogs are clucking, the leaves are thinking about coming out.

                                                    
                                                                     HOP!

                          

Damp walk

Hooray, the Bloodroot leaf has come up from the dark damp leaves; no flower yet.
Nettles below are sprouting up and so deep green.

Beavers have been busy, they tried to get this tree down but it got snagged on a nearby tree after all that hard work.
It feel so good to be outside and not be battling the ice and cold.

Newts are out!

Checking out the newt from the pond at Northfield Mountain.
Not too many frogs, yet, but hopefully soon.

Easter

This year the bunny brought cotton candy, which was a big hit.

An Easter Lily added to the festive holiday with a glorious smell.

Some animals came out to celebrate.

And Cookie ate her first peep. It took a long time.  Lily pulled out the Easter grass from her mouth so she didn't eat that, too.

 The hunt is all about speed and a good eye.

We drove to my parents in Andover and continued the holiday there.  We got a rare family picture in the field. Believe me, this was not easy to accomplish. There was much complaining and squirming.

My mother, sister and my girls planning on some serious arts and crafts.

Snuggling and tickling. Georgia is getting so long!

Georgia at school

Doing a Cain's arcade project where they made an arcade out of found objects and invited the school and parents to come play.  The whole class was so excited!  Georgia made a mini golf game out of cardboard.

Georgia's easter shop

 Georgia's selling some Easter items in the living room.  It's expanding every day and she is constantly harassing anyone who enters to, "Come buy stuff!"

Like this beautiful farm she made or some seeds she planted and grew.

Cookie came to check it out.

Really?

 Well, that was a surprise!  We woke up to 2 inches of wet gorgeous infuriating snow.  I was annoyed but the girls were really angry.  Dropping them off at school Georgia and I saw a beautiful flock of cedar waxwings on an ornamental fruit tree in the front of the school. Such sweet beautiful birds. I've read about them being seen passing the fruit down the line to the next bird in a very polite manner and they sometimes get tipsy and flop out of trees after eating fermented fruit.  I'm a big fan of them, but I haven't seen them in a few years.

They look like yellow cardinals with a
 little face mask.

 The daffodils are still getting ready to bloom and the plum tree looks similar to when it is in bloom! Soon, it will be petals, not snow.

Decorating eggs

 Oooh I love the smell of vinegar because it reminds me of decorating eggs as a child.  We dyed 2 dozen and could have done more, but it was time for bed. 

Finally, I can trust spring is here.

 The street sweeper has come!! That is always a big day here because we live on a steep hill and get a ton of sand dropped every winter, which makes biking and even walking a bit tricky. Hooray for the street sweeper.  We have to make sure to rake/sweep our lawn of sand, shoving it into the road like everyone else, before the sweeper comes.  This year Lily spotted the rented yellow sweeper moving slowly on a neighboring street on the way home from school and ran in the door saying, "The street sweeper is coming!" then ran outside to sweep. What a gal!

The boat launch is flooded more than I've ever seen. It's a little creepy to see water where there is usually dry land. Lily got out of car and I yelled, "Don't touch the water!" fearing it would just wash up and grab her or even come swirl up around our car, which didn't really make sense in this situation, but is probably a sensible fear, really..

 

The Lady's Mantle is emerging like a fan from the earth.

Frog catching time

 

 A tiny lungwort flower near the frog swamp and a pair of mating frogs. I tried to be scientific and tell georgia what was going on but she was utterly convinced it was a Mama and a baby and my words did not change that.  I could hear Georgia's squeaks of glee when she spotted all the frogs. Now. Spring. Is. Here.  Hoo. Fricken. Yay!

Enjoying the lawn before it gets mowed.

Our beloved House Wren is back and trying to find the perfect spot for a nest. They are such cheerful singers from dawn to dusk. I sat under the plum tree and just let myself drink in spring.

I promised myself during our long protracted "almost" spring that I would steal time and go outside this season once it kicked in. I know I'll be so sad if I miss it.

Peepers!

Ahhh. The peepers have come. A wonderful chorus of celebration. The momentum of spring is growing, becoming unstoppable.  The full moon rising and a cacophony of spring peepers = magic!

Signs that spring is actually coming

Flowers and greens in Lissa's window.

A white crocus in the neighbor's yard.

Actually laying down in the grass! What a joy.  The sky is so blue and Cookie is so happy!
I still feel scared to trust the warmth. Winter was so long, dark and cold; there is a part of me that wonders if spring will ever really settle in.

1st frog sighting

Lily yelled at me to stop the car when she saw this little frog in the road.  We got out to stare. Could it be? maybe spring will actually come!

Watermelon

Finally a warmish day! We are so ready. We sliced a watermelon and dreamed of summer.