Spring - It really is coming!

Every spring I wait for the pasque flowers to bloom. They are wonderful fuzzy purple flowers that send out the flower before the leaves. They are very short plants and must get to the sun before the grass and other plants emerge. We have a very rocky west facing hillside near our house, that must be the perfect place for them. Every year the hill is more and more cover with this purple beauty. The best part is it usually happens right around my birthday. I just came back from the hill and am happy to report that there are buds that came up today and should be ready to bloom tomorrow. Tomorrow is my birthday, so the first ones to bloom will be my present this year!

The other thing I look forward to at this time of year is being able to get into (sort of) the woods behind our house. Most of the year it is a so full of barbed under growth that it is virtually impassable. But right now, it is possible (if you don't count a few bloodied shins) to gt back in there. Our neighborhood hawk family lives in the top of those trees. While we can see them flying in and out all year, it is only now that we can get close enough to actually see the nest.  It is quite a good sized structure, and, considering the winds it must endure, a strong one too! If they are home when I visit, they will usually circle and screech while I am there, but today they must have been off hunting.

And finally. As I walked back to the house a flash of the most amazing blue went by. The bluebirds are also back. Like the red of the cardinals stand out from the snow during the winter, this blue was unbelievable against the greys and browns.