Sunday, April 03, 2011

The First Day

Here in the northeast it's been the longest winter. There has been snow on the ground for months now, constant frigid temperatures, black skies by 4:30-5:00 each night. . But not today! Today my part of the world welcomed spring. The sun was bright & the sky was brilliant. It was a perfect first day to get reacquainted with my yard.


There is not much I like better. I pulled out my rake and in a tiny area in the front yard I picked up leaves that had accumulated from last fall. There is rich soil where I live: my yard was once part of a large farm. It was so good to see that black soil again. Tomorrow morning I will walk out my kitchen door and delight that one small patch of land is now clean and ready for plantings.

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Here's some of what made me happy today:
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JB's Magic Cottage: once a shed, now a studio

It's really not this bad. The kitchen is getting its low budget remodel and the garage is storing our sink, stove top, two by four pieces of wood. Tomorrow new Corian counters will be installed. I am over the moon with anticipation. It doesn't take much to excite me which, personally, I think is a good thing.


If there is any rationale for four seasons, a huge one is early spring when the ground literally cracks itself open. This is rhubarb breaking through. In time these buds will have one and two foot leaves.
Is this a message? Hieroglyphics?


There are a variety of plastic lizards in my yard. JB likes lizards. I try to ignore them...


Hello Spring!


I got this trough for my birthday last year. It is very old, from China, where it was used for chickens. Soon I will fill it with water and float my first flower in it. As long as I have a small container of water somewhere outside, and maybe a splurge of one lily pad, I'm happy.

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I will have a small vegetable and flower garden and JB and I will landscape some. We will work, break for lunch, sit on the front steps and then in the backyard chairs, and we will walk around the yard on the lookout for whatever peeks out. I love this time of year, and I'm grateful for it.

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Happy New Season, where ever you are.

Love

kj

22 comments:

  1. I'm so glad to see Spring has finally made it's way to you!! ♥

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  2. Yay for Spring! I thought that was a real lizard!

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  3. Soon as i see spring I will let you know she spread her wings slightly south and west.

    The temperature believe it or not just dropped 22 degrees in less than an hour.

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  4. Oh, kj, you made me want to garden! I love your little water trough. I'm with you, if I have some little water feature, I am a happy camper. We are getting SUNSHINE and temps in the mid-80s today, which is so weird, but I will take it! I hope to get all my 'work' done, so this afternoon I can break out my rake, too. Happy Spring! xoxo Pam

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  5. I love walking around my yard just to see what's popped up since my last walk around. It's just the best time of year for me... there is a surprise every day in the garden. Happiness, too, when I find a plant coming up out of the soil that I thought I'd lost to the cold.

    But it snowed again last night...

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  6. Spring, YESSSSS! This year, more than many in wuite a while, will bring us warmth, joy and some clear-sightedness! ;)

    Oh, Marion....I know it has to be hard when "Ol Man Winter" just overstays his welcome! Hopefully he will "get the hint"!

    I thought that Lizard was real too! (I'm with JB and love them!)

    You will habe a glorious garden this year! (With flowers AND jellies!)

    Love,

    ♥ Robin ♥

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  7. Oh that I could get in the flowerbed. It is pouring rain here; thunderstorms and a dropping temperature. At least Spring has arrived civilly in some part of the U.S.
    Just not HERE!
    I hope you had a delightful day...
    (mine was spent as it has been this morning; debugging the computer...and I am not sure if I have made progress or just screwed things up further...LOL!!!)

    XXOO~~
    Anne

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  8. yeah, yesterday was nice but today is chilly and drizzly again dammit!!

    I have to pick up "Roots" today.
    I'll enjoy the drive.

    I'll be sitting in your yard when the rhubarb is high :)

    xoxo
    Lo♥♥

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  9. Happy Spring! We are having an early one, usually there is still snow on the ground this time of year, no planting gets done until the end of May as we still have freezing weather at night, but Saturday it was 75 degrees!xoxo

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  10. What a wonderful post... I will enjoy your sunshine until we get some of our own!



    Kristin

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  11. i love all these images of spring - but i esp love seeing what i've always thought of as kj's barn!!! so it's a studio for jb?? lucky her -- i've always wanted a little studio that is separate from my house. love the stars.......a magic cottage indeed~

    xoxo

    p.s. i love rhubarb too.....esp in pie. yummm ;-)

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  12. Jeez, it has been raining all day here (quite sick of it, frankly). Your yard looks ideal, and it sounds like as the season moves along it will become even idealer (how's that for an adjective?)!

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  13. cs, thank you! we can share our yards all spring and summer!

    caroline, sometimes i think that too, and i jump!

    mark, i wish this for you! i only had one day so far, but i'm still optimistic!

    pam, i'm writing this at 5 pm. did it rain where you are today? because if it didn't i hope you made it outside with your rake. it was worth two days of vacation! xo

    dearest marion, me too, me too, me too...

    robin, i'll be juggling between two places and i know the ocean will win out. but i have modest hopes and plans for my yard... xo

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  14. anne, it's dreary here today too. i had to laugh that my little crocuses refuse to open in the rain or bleakness. sometimes i follow their example! i have double hopes for you: no computer bugs and one bright sun soon. :)

    lo, can't wait. maybe i'll make a rhubarb pie for the occasion (haha, i've never made one in my entire life!) (but i can....)

    annie, yes, no serious planting here until memorial day. but i'll be popping in lettuce and pansies any day now....after i clean out the garden, which is not a quick project :)

    kristin, oh your blog today! that room is amazingly wonderful! i have no sun to share today. but i do have new kitchen counters and that is pretty nifty :)

    amanda, kj's barn? that is very cute! no, it's JB's magic cottage and in it she plays like a first grader. i want her to play more... :)

    lydia, i have a confession to make. i come by your blog and i am so blown away by the poetry there that i don't leave a comment until i have ample time. thanks for being patient with me! ♥

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  15. Gotta love spring:) the birds are chirping away here.
    Neat little cottage studio! I love the design. Hope you have a wonderful week KJ.

    -----<---@
    A rose for you:)

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  16. Yes we had rain today but yesterday was just lovely. Made me glad that the earth continues to turn despite the fact that I begin to believe we are in a winter enchanted world. Hope you are well. Miss you!

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  17. today, tuesday, we have the rain back and cold and some snow on monday too but lala am so glad to see your signs of spring and lovely happy photos. hope you had a relaxing sunday. hugs, suki

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  18. spring is really something to celebrate, and i can see especially where you are! enjoy these days!

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  19. I love seeing JB's studio. I could live in there. It is very sweet!
    It is spring blooming here, the squirrels and I have commenced our struggle for the season. The gophers will be next I am sure.;-D
    I am so glad spring has fianlly poked its head out there.
    About time!!!

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  20. All of this sounds so good!!
    I remember the stone bowl. I remember that nice zen shop and garden in P town!
    So happy all of that snow is gone and your garden and you are ready for spring!
    Today we had rain and dull weather but the garden is getting greener every day!
    I love it.
    And remodeling your kitchen is a nice project! I understand your joy!

    Enjoy all of it my dear friend!

    Love
    ♥♥♥
    >M<

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  21. kj~ I was a little puzzled when I began reading your post. After all, I don't live that far from you, and it's still winter here! We do have two little violets, and the forsythia has bloomed. And then I saw what you have coming up: rhubarb! Great photo! I love the studio and water trough! It won't be long! (Start some sunflowers and castor beans in little flower pots; keep inside and water!)

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  22. pssst, just between you and me, you're welcome to drive 110 miles to watch me do laundry.

    just sayin'.

    Even though Brian does the laundry, you get my drift, right?

    Sleep tight PP ;)

    Love you!

    Lo♥♥

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