Spring...

Time to wake up, time to stretch, and time to grow again. Spring is here after what seems to have been an exceptionally long and hard winter. The grass is green, the trees are full of leaves, and the sun is shining.

Yesterday, Dana and I got up early (she was over for the weekend) and met my mom at her house. From there, we headed to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. We wandered up and down the 5 sections of the market, looking at the stalls filled with beautiful flowers, vegetable plants, and home grown goodies. We came home with a car load of items needing to be planted.

Scott joined us at my house and Dad was shortly behind. Mom brought dinner for all (Spanish hamburger, chips, and sweets). Dad and Scott worked on my new fence - getting it all ready for a special furry one that I will soon pick out and have join me. I worked on getting the lawn mowed which is a big task! The garden was raked and prepped (thanks Dana!) and we planted the green bean seeds. In about 51 days, I should have a great crop of beans. The lilies are coming up, the peonies are growing strong, and the tomato plants are in the ground. Gerbera daisies are in a pot just in front of the garage, a new fern is making its home in the shade behind the garage, and the annuals are filling the side of the house with color.

As of right now, I am sitting in the backyard under the umbrella, listening to music, and enjoying the fragrant smell of lilacs in the air. The breeze is mild and the sun is strong and warm. The firepit is awaiting its first use and the wood pile is stacked between the two pine trees.

Life is good right now. I know I've missed writing and I've missed reading. No promises as to when I'll write again, but I haven't given up on this site completely. Reviewing the posts, I see it's been over 2 months since I last wrote. It was cold then - the furnace was working overtime. It's not cold now. I love the changing of the seasons.

My plans today involve torture - I have a dentist appointment in 40 minutes. In the past 365 days, I've been to the dentist way too often - over a dozen times. A little over a month ago, I had an emergency arise. A molar decided to cause me some trouble, resulting in an emergency root canal on a Saturday morning. Pain pills were prescribed and two days later, an antibiotic was given to knock out the infection in my jaw. Three days after that, another set of pain pills (different kinds) were prescribed and a different, much stronger, antibiotic was prescribed. After a week of fear and pain, relief was given as the new drugs did the trick and the swelling that went from my chin to my throat by ways of my jaw finally subsided. That was not a happy week.

My plans after the dentist are simple - go to Mom's house for dinner and a bit of shopping. The work week starts tomorrow and I'm helping someone out, so I'll be at the office for 6 days in a row. But then I get two days off, work 4 days, and find myself on vacation. I need the break!

I hope all is well. Spring doesn't last long in Minnesota and I plan on enjoying what I can. Summer will be here soon and many more days of gardening are waiting ahead.