The Redbuds are Blooming-It's Spring!

In our Thursday Night Knitting Group there was a discussion about redbuds. It seems many of them were damaged by the Ice Storm from Hell, and we are concerned about them. They seem to be blooming really late this year. Usually they bloom during the blooming period of serviceberry, but not this year.

I started watching every day since Thursday to see a redbud blooming. Well.....Today Is The Day! At least it is the day I saw redbuds blooming in everyone's yard. Yeah! Some look pretty ragged and scraggly after being chopped from the storm. But they are blooming! I saw some down the street that were on the edge of a tree lot. They appear to be old and scraggly, but they were proudly waving blooming branches in the wind.

Today is warm and sunny and pretty. Friday night our first Spring storm moved through. Lots of lightening and some thunder. And rain, of course. The yard is soggy. But I have rested for three days, and I am going to tackle the yard again.

Yesterday CJ and I went to the Spinning Guild meeting, ate lunch, and met JE at my house for an afternoon of spinning, knitting, and talk. I really like this informal getting together we do on Saturdays. We rotate between CJ's house and my house. That gives JE a break from her family and sheep responsibilities. She has a very understanding husband.

I started my Surprise jacket with my handspun. I think it will be pretty. The yarn is certainly nothing to be proud of. I spun it 20+ years ago to make my husband a sweater. I spun it single ply, thick and thin, and it is a coarse wool. I can't remember the kind of wool. I never made the sweater-partly because I knew Joe would never wear a heavy sweater and partly because I wasn't pleased with the yarn.

Forward to finding this pattern, dyeing the yarn, and just doing it. The sweater is knit in garter stitch, which is certainly forgiving for thick and thin yarn, and the colors look like fall leaf colors. But the wool is still coarse and yucky. But it will be fine for outer wear. We'll see.

So out I go, to mow the back yard. The weeds are pretty high right now. I need to plant the creeping phlox I bought. I love the way they creep over the edge of the bed. I need to finish putting dirt into the garden boxes. So lots of little things to do today. I refuse to do any heavy lifting today. Just putzing around stuff.

So go forward into Spring. It's here. Yes, there will be cold spells ahead, and there may be a bit of snow. But officially it's Spring.

"Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again. "-- Gustav Mahler