Small consolation, more of a tease, really...

For all of you facing the prospects of a blizzard on this fine February morning, here is a picture showing that spring has arrived in Monticello...

These daffodils are blooming all around this area, as are spring beauties, crocus, and other early spring plants. Within weeks the woods will be blossoming with other spring mainstays like redbud, dogwood, yellow jessamine, etc. Spring is a very good time to visit the South, as we have an early green-up and generally nice weather.

However, there is a dark side to spring in this area. The snowstorm some of you will get this weekend translates to severe weather in our area, and though we haven't seen any yet, there is a good chance we'll have some thunderstorms today. The winds here are strong, the air is moist and feels unstable, and a cold front is approaching. If it was a little more unstable, we'd be really sweating it about tornadoes...but I don't think that's the case for us today.


Regardless, I have been spending parts of the last week cleaning up the yard, raking and burning leaves (if we can get them before the kids pile into them), twigs, and pine cones, and getting things ready for the mowing season, which also will start soon for us. Much of my effort has been digging a new trench and trying to improve the drainage in our back yard. One portion of our yard acts as a small lake during heavy rains, and fills to a depth of 5 or 6 inches before it finally drains out towards the street. For now, I have cut a fairly deep little trench to ensure that the yard drains well (our heavy soils hold water for a long time, making it hard for the kids to play cleanly in the back yard). Over time this spring, I will taper the sides so it's easier to mow, and less of an eyesore.

We are leaving tomorrow for a business week long trip to Georgia and North Carolina, so hopefully the weather will be nice there and we'll have some good pictures to post!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Well-! Rubbing it in about our weather!

I ended up driving back to Eau Claire on Sunday. I had snowed and was windy in places, but the roads weren't that bad. It got a little dicy around Wausau and Abbotsford, but they always have a lot of blowover from farm fields in that area.

Anyway, I already mentioned to Jon that your family would be visiting Rhinelander around Easter. Hopefully he knows that means that Aunt Lisa plans to sneak over for a visit. If he doesn't know that I will spell it out for him later :).

Take Care, Lisa
1:26 PM
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