Sprung

Spring is at full throttle around here. The wisteria has exploded out of the azaleas, yellow tree pollen is everywhere, and the dogwoods are in full bloom. I love autumn for the crisp nights, but really spring is where it is at in the south.

We broke out the mowers this weekend, our lawn was a shaggy mess and desperately needed attention. There wasn't too much drama starting the tractor, it had one tire in need of air and the battery needed a boost. the one tricky bit was when Larry was almost done mowing and the mower deck quit working. Luckily it as just a cotter pin working loose and I knew all about it from last year. Technically it wasn't a cotter pin as I had used a heavy duty paper clip, but the end result was the same. This time I used a heavy duty key ring (sans keys) to hold the bits together. I am the queen of ad hoc tractor repair.

Snowfall

Believe it or not that is snow.

It is not a starry sky superimposed over an image of our woods.

It is not dust motes on the lens lit up by the flash.

It is just plain snow falling from the sky, in March, late March in central Virginia. At least it is not sticking.

Help me.

Cold

Cold, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

The last time we saw this fellow it was reasonably nice out. Since Thursday we have had a high in the upper 70s over the weekend followed by the wintery mix of doom. I don't know if it is the same blue bird, but it is in the same spot and looking a bit put off with the return of winter.

I have to agree, I'm tired of the brutal weather pattern of late. We get one or two days of almost 8o degrees and then bam, winter is back. As I right I can hear the patter of rain/freezing rain/sleet on the skylights. The schools already have declared a two hour today, a slight improvement over this morning's 5:30 am announcement via phone.

I'm done with winter.

Signs of Spring

Crocus, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

At the end of February I saw this brave little crocus amongst the leaf litter in the front garden. It is one of the very few left of the massive planting I did not long after we got the house. Deer, mice, and bugs have taken their toll over the years. I should, and probably will, do another mass planting. I have always liked crocuses because they are low maintenance, come in pretty colors, and are the first flowers to bloom.

I almost missed them this year with all the snow we keep getting. My guess is the worst is over, February has always been the snowiest part of winter followed by one last gasp in March.

Dell and Daffodils, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Daffodils are always the next to bloom and this patch has been going strong for over a week. I finally remembered to bring a camera along today during the dog walk. Dell wasn't particularly impressed by the flowers, the neighbor's house was far more interesting. I however disagree with Mr. Dell. I think it is very interesting that this particular planting is one of the first to bloom every year. My best guess is this particular spot is very sheltered and gets quite a bit of sunlight. My daffodils reside in a rather shady spot and are about a week behind. They have been up for quite awhile and not until this morning have I see any flower buds.

daffodils, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Speaking of which...

This afternoon I found flowering daffodils in own yard. It is amazing how an 80 degree day can hurry along plants. I thought I would see blooms tomorrow, not this afternoon. Spring is definitely on its way.

Wisteria

wisteria, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Here's one more picture from my ramble about Richmond.

It"s the same plant from the previous post, just with a different take on the composition. I think I like this picture a little more, but the other one fit better in the context of the post. Either way I like both pictures.

Sadly the blooms are all starting to fade. I love the extravagant clusters that are formed with the delicate shades of purple with a hint of yellow in the throat. Every year I delight in their short lived abundance.

For me the blooms passing marks the end of spring. The trees are all fully leafed and the bare branches of winter are a dim memory. Soon it will be all too hot.

Pink Snow

pink snow, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Today was my turn to drive the car pool to Richmond and I decided to bring my camera along and do a bit of a walk about. I'm so glad I did.

Being a sunny day I walked to a nearby market to pick up a few items. I then headed back to where the children were and continued on to do a bit of sight seeing. The fan is a lovely area in Richmond with a character all of its own. City living, but on a personal, more intimate scale.

As I turned the corner to go down one of my favorite residential streets my eyes were greeted with the sight of pink snow. For short stretches drifts of pink petals from the trees thickly covered the sidewalks. I was delighted by the sight and pleased that I had my camera with me.

petals on the steps, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I thought it was so beautiful I did a little detour with the kids as we walked back to the car, they were duly impressed by the masses of petals on the ground. Just as were we approaching the area where the petals were the thickest we noticed the owner was out on his stoop, the same one pictured here. I got this shot the first time I went by. The kids were a bit spooked by his presence, but I smiled and told him how beautiful his pink snow was. He smiled back and said we ere welcome to take some, in fact all of it if we want.

Once again it was very worth my while to bring my camera and have a look around.

Spring Hath Sprung

Spring Hath Sprung, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I forget over the winter how pretty it is around here in the spring. I took this picture Tuesday and since then the trees and bushes have become even greener. I mowed the lawn for second time and we didn't seven make a week.

Winter is well and truly over.

The downside of all this renewed growth is pollen. It is horrible right now. Huge clouds of the stuff roll across the land like a yellow fog-bank. A few days I didn't realize I was driving through such a cloud and thought my windshield and/or glasses were in desperate need of cleaning. It was quite a shock when I broke through into clear air.

It' Beginning to Look a lot like Pesach

three inches, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Title shamelessly stolen from Meryl Yourish.

Yes, that is a ruler in the snow and it really is measuring out 3 inches. I knew we were going to get some sort of big weather today, but this is far beyond what I expected.

This morning was my turn to drive the car pool to Sunday school. As I waited outside with the other parents for our children to be released the weather was the hot topic of conversation. There was a cold biting wind that smelled of snow, and my elbow had been bothering me this morning. 30 years ago I broke it, just knocked the end off the ulna and there is, literally, a three inch wood screw in there. When big storm systems are moving into the area I get twinges of pain in my elbow.

So anyhoodle I knew we were in for it.

Front yard, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

 The rain and sleet started around noon and the weather steadily worsened as the temperature dropped. By midafternoon it had switched to snow and was falling heavily. At around 5:30 pm this was the view of our front yard. This is the biggest snow fall we have gotten this year and of course school was declared closed for Monday around 7.

So yay! We get to reveal in our last bits of bread before Passover comes tomorrow night. I foresee a big pot of pasta for lunch.

Spring Snow

cherry blossum snow 4, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

We got a bit of a surprise this morning. The day started with a leaden sky, very cold, with a damp wind. At around a quarter to eight it started to snow.

I didn't believe it at first, but soon the flakes were falling fast and thick. A light dusting of snow covered the yard. An hour later it was time to go to the bus stop and by then the snow had tapered off. I made sure I had my camera for the morning walk because I knew the snow would not last.

The dogs were put off by the cold and wet, so the walk was very short. I had no complaints as this gave me more time to take pictures before it was all gone.  In fact  a couple of hours later and all the snow was gone.

If you click on the picture you can see the whole set of pictures I took.

Spring Forth

Spring Forth, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It hit 80 today and became skirt weather. Leaves are bursting out and the flowers are popping up everywhere I look. It may be a few days yet to the vernal equinox and the official start of spring, but as far as I'm concerned spring is here.

Project MCP: Transition Winter into Spring

Winter into Spring, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

MCP Project 12 has been switched to Project MCP. The Project 12 version wasn't generating a whole lot of photos so it was decided by the owner to switch to four challenges a month as apposed to just one.

Which made me very happy.

The one challenge a month was very limiting and honestly boring. If I didn't like it I was stuck for the whole month. Multiple images were encouraged, but again if it wasn't your cuppa tea you not going to be very inspired. I love the four challenges a month and the flexibility of whatever order I want.

One of the four themes this month is transition. What better way to demonstrate that word than the transition of winter into spring. Our little surprise snowstorm last weekend caught my crab apple with its new little leaves and I think this picture is very apt for defining transition.

That Was Spring

Shenandoah
Originally uploaded by Teckelcar

I guess our spring was last week when we went to the Shenandoah River State Park. The leaves were just out and we had a few cool days. Lovely spring weather that was only marred by the wind blown eddies of pollen.

Now the temperature is parked in the upper 70s to mid 80s with forays all the way to 90.

Ugh.

I'll just keep looking at lovely pictures from our vacation to remind me of cooler weather and when the trees began to leaf out.

Spring Blossoms

Spring
Originally uploaded by Teckelcar

This picture is why I love our crab apple tree.

I love the little pink flower buds, all tightly furled and nestled amongst the young leaves. Then they burst forth, the petals softening in color to a delicately blushed white. Pale yellow stamens boldly reach out and beckon to all the bees. The blooms posses a delicate scent that fills the air without overwhelming.

The rest of the trees in the background, excepting the forsythia- another spring favorite, are still bare. Just the barest hint of color before leaves fill their barren boughs.

I'm always grateful this time of year that our crab apple was planted near the house right by kitchen windows.

MCP Project 52: View From Here

Crocus
Originally uploaded by Teckelcar

It's the eighth week in MCP Project 52 and the theme was "the view from here."

I spied the first crocus of the season pushing its way through the leaves while weeding in preparation for spring. To capture the idea of "the view from here" I laid down amongst the leaves to get just the right angle. I find it is always worthwhile to get to the same level as your subject. and this time was not the exception.

I put the lens right up to the flowers and set my little point and shoot on Macro, thus creating the lovely bokeh in the background. Laying there I fired off about 15 shots. In the end I got about 3 pictures I liked with this one being the best. I'm fairly pleased with the end result.

First Blooms

first bloom 09
Originally uploaded by Teckelcar

We have been watching the daffodils the past few weeks.

First the tiny green shoots thrusting their way out of the leaf litter, then the swelling of the new buds.

Today Rebecca saw something new.

This morning we were walking to the bus stop and we saw a bright splash of yellow amongst the brown and green.

Our first bloom of the season.

The official start of spring is three weeks off, but here in Virginia it is starting.

almost there
Originally uploaded by Teckelcar

I put in these bulbs eight, maybe nine years ago. I know it was soon after we moved in after we had gone one full year so I could see what needed to be added. It was just a cheap bag of a hundred bulbs, contractor grade if I recall correctly. But they keep coming back and brightening up my day.

Spring is Here

Spring is firmly entrenched around here and here are a few signs.

The flowers have been blooming for quite awhile, but I don't take anything seriously until the lilacs start doing their thing. Ours started a week ago and are featured in my new header.

Opening day for baseball has come and gone. Now I 'm not talking about this, but rather the local Little League's opening day. Last year was a dismal rainy affair. This year it was much colder, but was mercifully brief because it was postponed to yesterday and started at 1:00 pm instead of 8:00 am. The best part was the reduction in speechifying. I suspect the original mucky-muck couldn't reschedule and the league decided to just stick with just the board of directors and the ceremonial first pitch.

But for me the biggest sign that spring is here to stay is when I break out the shop-vac. Yes, it's time to vacuum the tree.