Spring is Patient.....

 

Spring is patient…

By  Melanie Mar 14, 2026

The gallery wall. Photo credit: Melanie

How can you not love the first hints of color that appear in the yards, fields, and road sides. It begins with the dead purple nettle, which I pick by the handfuls to feed to the chickens, who aren’t allowed to free range for propriety's sake. Small town neighbors don’t appreciate my freeloaders encroaching on their borders. These days I have to act like a soccer goalie, defending the chicken run door to prevent the little huzzies from escaping into the warm sunshine that was today.  Yesterday, I had one offender sneak out before I could block her way. Thank goodness she was just interested in the unpicked dead nettle growing outside the run parameters, and allowed me to grab her up to give her a good talking to before replacing her with her clucking cohorts. I had to remind her we had a deal, no unauthorized excursions. We’ll have to see if she can follow the rules, for her own safety.

The next stop was the asparagus patch. Lo and behold, there was one thin spear making an appearance among the greenery I allowed to grow in that patch. Which is bordered on one corner by a spreading thornless blackberry bush. Those newer canes are starting to show some buds. I sooo look forward to those sweet juicy berries. Last year I picked enough to be able to share with one of the neighbor ladies, Phyllis. She is a joy to visit, always pleasant, and a link to “times gone by” with her memories of time she spent with my grandparents and others who have passed on.  The peach trees are showing hints of pink, trying to bust out of the tight buds. With the weather turning cold tomorrow, with a strong chance of rowdy weather ending in snowfall, we’ll have to wait and see if we have any peaches to harvest this year or if the freeze kills all chances of that happening. Asking God for a little grace in this area too. Keep the faith, and move forward with a little Everyday Courage…

                                        

Spring is patient…

By  Melanie Mar 14, 2026

The gallery wall. Photo credit: Melanie

How can you not love the first hints of color that appear in the yards, fields, and road sides. Those purple violets with the vivid colors are my favorite. It all begins with the dead purple nettle though, which I pick by the handfuls to feed to the chickens, who aren’t allowed to free range for propriety's sake. Small town neighbors don’t appreciate my freeloaders encroaching on their borders. These days I have to act like a soccer goalie, defending the chicken run door to prevent the little huzzies from escaping into the warm sunshine that was today.  Yesterday, I had one offender sneak out before I could block her way. Thank goodness she was just interested in the unpicked dead nettle growing outside the run parameters, and allowed me to grab her up to give her a good talking to before replacing her with her clucking cohorts. I had to remind her we had a deal, no unauthorized excursions. We’ll have to see if she can follow the rules, for her own safety. 

The next stop was the asparagus patch. Lo and behold, there was one thin spear making an appearance among the greenery I allowed to grow in that patch. Which is bordered on one corner by a spreading thornless blackberry bush. Those newer canes are starting to show some buds. I sooo look forward to those sweet juicy berries, the size of my thumb. Last year I picked enough to be able to share with one of the neighbor ladies, Phyllis. She is a joy to visit, always pleasant, and a link to “times gone by” with her memories of time she spent with my grandparents and others who have passed on.  

The peach trees are showing hints of pink, trying to bust out of the tight buds. With it turning cold tomorrow, with a strong chance of rowdy weather ending in snowfall, we’ll have to wait and see if we have any peaches to harvest this year or if the freeze kills all chances of that happening. Asking God for a little grace in this area too. 

Keep the faith, and move forward with a little Everyday Courage...

Spring's patience continues...

 Yesterday we spent most of the day on the property. I always like to finish out the day with a bit of sightseeing, and hopefully finding some picture worthy scenes. It did not disappoint. No deer made an appearance, maybe because we had been burning one of several brush piles while the opportunity was there. So, smoke and animals don't mix well.

The first creature, not including the photophobic ducks that wouldn't pose or allow this amateur photographer to react quick enough to get any. So, onward to the slower, least friendly, and most dangerous to anything or anyone careless enough to get close to its mouth. A neighborhood snapper was making its way from the muddy ditch that was drying out, over to the middle lake where food is plentiful.

We made our rounds, checking out the beehive where the workers were flying in and out. I need to move that hive soon, before the temperatures stay warm, and this part of the property isn't our anymore. Dreams fade when reality gets too hard. We adapt or give up. I choose to adapt, for now.

We took the time to pause and enjoy the breeze on this unusually warm day for this time of year, under the big pine trees. The pinecones lying among the sprigs of grass and discarded pine needles. Beautiful in their own right.

As we left for the day, gates locked, we wound through the nature preserve back roads, just enjoying the day and the splashes of color that survived the recent cold snap. It's time for a shower and a thorough check for ticks, especially since we both have picked a few off of ourselves. This too shall pass, and we have to continue to practice some everyday courage...