Sights from the Week

 

Astronomical vs meteorological spring - which one do you celebrate? In school we were taught the astronomical version of seasons based on the relative position of the Earth to the sun. I've heard of more and more people marking the beginning of March as spring's start. 

I've enjoyed some lovely walks this past week, in sunshine, under grey monotone skies, and in a bit of drizzle. I often admire the red house I see on one of my routes. It looks a bit Scandinavian to me. The prunus blossoms show up so well against the red siding. 

I stopped to watch a pair of Downy Woodpeckers among the trees. How quickly they move, flitting here and there looking for food. 

In the same trees a pair of Spotted Towhees chased each other up and down, round and round in a mad flurry of feathers. 

A surprise when I looked at my photos - I caught the pair of them, just barely. 

Yesterday I spent much of the day at my daughter and son-in-law's new home. They have a large property and it has not been taken care of for quite some time because the owner became ill. My co-mother-in-law and I spent an hour or more clearing up a front garden bed and discovered roses, tulips, and many peonies. 

I decided to stay a little longer and did some more work, clearing a row of rosebushes - liberating them from a wild tangle of thorny blackberries. My hands are quite torn up, despite wearing gloves. But it was a most satisfying job. 

Prunus blossoms along a wooded path. In the past week or 10 days much springs up from the earth or bursts into flower. It's invigorating. Then there are the days when rain pours down and it's good to be cozy indoors reading, sewing, or cooking. 

I did a little tour of my own garden this morning. The layered and ruffled leaves of Columbine glistened with miniscule water droplets. Lots of daffodils bloom along with hyacinths. I find that the hyacinth bulbs I plant rarely grow into the perfect specimens I see in the nurseries. I wonder why that is? They are one-sided or missing a florets. But they are still beautifully fragrant and colourful. 

Friends are coming for dinner tonight. I'm making a lasagne with butternut squash in place of noodles, beets with a honey citrus glaze, asparagus, a salad, and focaccia bread. One friend is bringing dessert and the other an appetizer. It will be lovely to be together around the table.