Springlike Tuesday

After the coldest winter in a long time, we are having a really nice warm spell that is just fueling my spring fever.  It is way too early to plant most anything, but I managed to plant a few potatoes in a big old wash tub late this afternoon.  They love this cold weather and besides this was a bit of therapy for me. 

Yesterday Amber was my right hand man and helped clean out all the leaves and other debris in my fenced garden plot.  As soon as I get the dirt broken up there are broccoli and cauliflower plants sitting on my porch just waiting to start growing.  Amber thinks we can create a business selling veggies and she should be a 50/50 shareholder in the profits.  We'll have to work on her business plan.  She is ever the young entrepreneur. 

She thought the garden looked like a man's garden until we added stepping stones leading to the bird house, a pot full of parsley and an old sign that said "Welcome to My Garden."  She then decided it was definitely on the way to being a lady garden.  More work is needed and she wants to be the girl to help me. 

We found some old bricks that are quite unusual and concrete stepping stones which have Nick and John's hands and feet prints on them.  Somewhere in my yard is the William stepping stone but we cannot find it.  They are about 15 years old and were made while the boys lived in Virginia.  The stones will look pretty when they are surrounded by the perennials that have been growing up under the birdhouse for many years.  We can use the stones to get a peek at the baby birds in a few weeks without stepping all over the young flowers.

Today was a long trip to the clinic for Mamaa to get the last of her three shots to help her cope with the pain from her broken tail bone.  She has done so well since the initial injury in October.  She was quite sleepy from the procedure and that gave me a chance to enjoy the beautiful springlike day and eat my lunch on the front porch while swinging in the new swing. 

Johnny gave me a two-seat porch swing for Christmas.  We painted it red to match our front door and finally got it hung last weekend.  This is actually the first time we could really sit and enjoy it without freezing half to death.  It is just perfect.  I could see right through the window into the living room and watch Mamaa while she imitated Rip VanWinkle.  That reminds me that "Rip" was Papaa Duke's pet name for her.  The swing so inspired me that I had to get the clippers and prune all my roses.  Yep, spring has to be right around the corner and I am getting ready.

After just one night with the game camera out in our back yard close to the house, Mamaa and I just had to take a peek and see if anything was on it.  Much to my surprise and delight, we got a nice shot of a fox just bounding by. This is right up there with the three coyotes we got a picture of a few days age (note the two in the shadows).  Maybe Danny will forget I have his camera.  It is ever so interesting to be able to see all the little forest creatures that roam all about while we are unaware.

Mamaa and I are headed to search for bargains at Belk in the morning and then home to Newton.  No time for yard work tomorrow.