March in Ohio

 Like so much of the country, we had a mild winter here in Ohio, which extended into bizarre warm days in February and early March. I was wearing sandals by March 4th! All the plants began to wake up, and things started to bloom early. But by mid month, Mother Nature seemed to remember that spring is generally chilly in March, and she did an about face. We had snow and cold, and all the blooming was halted. Even my pansies weren't happy, and they don't usually mind a chill. I stuck pansy pots into the garage for days on end, and covered the other ones with heavy towels. But finally here at the end of the month, we seem to be past the winter weather. 

Although a few flowers peeked out last month, the warm weather in early March is what really made the difference. 

During that burst of warm weather early in the month, I knew that I'd hear the spring peepers singing at the nearby wetland area. I absolutely LOVE this sound, and it's much louder than you would think. This area is remote enough that I can usually just stop my car in the middle of the road, turn off the engine, and record right out the window. Keep in mind this video is meant to by heard, not seen! 

During the cold spell mid month, I went back to indoor pursuits. I crocheted a few cat toys, hung out my newly painted birdhouse, made felt flowers for my cord wreath, watched my Hoya plant bloom, finished my neutral crochet blanket, baked lemon cookies, and filled my favorite vase with orange carnations. I'm someone who just loves to add those extra touches around the house, whether it's fresh flowers, homemade cookies, new crochet blankets or other extras. 

In preparation for Easter, I put out a few decorations, mostly to celebrate spring. My favorite is the blue and white pottery bunny below, since it's Polish pottery. My husband is 100% Polish! 

I stopped in at one of my favorite autumn parks the other day, Chestnut Ridge, when I realized that I've never visited there in early spring. While most of the trees are still bare, I did find a big patch of forsythia, mossy trees, and a blooming serviceberry tree. Most of the white blooming trees seen right now are the dreaded invasive pear trees, but I noticed there were none to be seen at this park. Good! 

 Once the short spell of cold weather was past, the flowers began to bloom again, especially the hellebores.  And yes, I do have a pear tree! But I didn't plant it here, it was placed by the city we live in. It's at least 20 years old, so I doubt it will live much longer. In the meantime, it is pretty. Just don't tell anyone I said that. Ha!

My skywatching is tricky in the month of March, as the sunsets line up in a way that's harder to catch from my house. Soon enough, it will be back in the front where I can see it better. By cruising around nearby, I can always find other sunset views. 

Thanks for coming by to see what's going on in Robin's Nest this month. I always appreciate when you stop by here! Hope to see you at the end of April, where I'll surely have plenty of tulips to share. I even spotted one today, but I'll save that for next time. Till then! 

March Is Where Spring Begins

March has been fairly typical here in central Ohio. We've had some pleasant days, some rainy days, a few snowflakes, with plenty of flowers arriving. But it's not really leaving like a lamb today. It's rainy and chilly instead. But since I planted pansies this week, I'm glad for the rain, because now I don't have to water. Remember, gardeners are almost always grateful for rain. 

Even though I had some early flower arrivals in February, it isn't until March that they begin in earnest. The weather hasn't always been welcoming for them, but they arrived anyway. Spring flowers are used to chilly weather, and in general, they laugh at the cold. 

Pansies are a special case, because they get freshly planted here every year, in the early spring or late winter. Those who aren't passionate gardeners are often amazed to find me planting them, because they don't understand that not all flowers appreciate warm weather. But I do, and I'm sure grateful for their wild colors in early spring, after a long winter of bland gray weather. I'm going for a yellow theme with my annuals this year, and pansies are cooperative in that regard. 

As I sorted through my photos, I find that I didn't work on crafts much this month. I suppose that's a sign of spring, when I'm outside working in the yard instead of inside crafting. But I did decorate my seasonal tiered tray as I often do, and I welcomed a mallard duck pair to the yard. They've been trying to raise a family here for several years, but we have never yet seen any ducklings. But here they are again, scouting out the place.

One small project that I did accomplish was to finally put my grandmother's teacup collection on display. They've been tucked away for many years, because I couldn't find a way to display them without it looking like a granny's house. Granted, I am a grandmother, but I didn't want it to look that way! But I did a bit of online sleuthing, and came up with the idea to use these rattan shelves to modernize them a bit. Because it's a small collection, they don't seem to come off as old fashioned displayed here on their new shelves. Grandma would be happy to see me showing them off for her. My favorite is the tiny one with a bird for a handle. Can you spot it? 

We spent time in Florida visiting my two sets of parents. They live in completely different areas, so the scenery is unique to each. We also took in our beloved Detroit Tigers during spring training. What fun! I was so tickled to see butterflies again, it's been much too long. 

And so we come to the end of March, and onward towards April. April is a favorite around here, when the world will really pop into bloom. It may be a bit chilly today, but the spring change is already starting. Soon the trees will really start to bloom, and the tulips will arrive. My heart lifts in spring, as it does for many. 

The sunsets are swinging around to my front porch again, so they've been harder to catch. When they arrived fully in front, then I'll happily catch them right off the porch. Until then, I keep watching the sky. Glad you could stop by my Nest! Will see you again next month, I hope.