March Flowers and Such

March flowers finally arrived here in Robin's Nest! Winter held on longer this year, and there were no flowers blooming at the end of February. I don't think that's ever happened before! I sure am glad to see them. I'm trying to savor each one, knowing that next year we'll be in a new home, and someone else will get to enjoy them. It's hard to leave a beloved garden behind, but exciting too. I'll be building a new Nest, but it will have a smaller footprint. 

In the meantime, I've been working on winter cleanup. But I'm also tweaking the garden so that it will be a bit simpler for its future owner. I don't want a non-gardener to see it and be too overwhelmed to buy the place. I'm removing plants that are testy, and the ones that don't contribute much. And I'll be limiting the annuals that I usually plug into every available space. 

I've already begun writing an "instruction manual" to the new owners, as I did when I left my last garden. I'd hate for them to start ripping things out willy nilly, without knowing what's what.. My main advice is "wait a year", so that they can see each bulb and perennial in season as it arrives. I know, I can't really control what they do, but at least I'll give them some idea of what to expect. Yes, I'll leave behind my collection of plant tags, in case they want to get to know the place. This house was a new build when we moved in, so every single thing was planted by our hands. So we have lots of tags! 

The weather is still all over the place, winter one day, spring the next, then back to winter. So I'm not spending every moment outside like I might in the summer. Indoor pursuits include cooking, crochet, and bit of redecorating. If it seems like a strange time to redecorate, it's because I'm already planning how my new home will look, and using my current home as a staging ground. 

I've caught a few nice sunsets, despite the awkward place it happens at this time of year. I keep wondering what kind of sky views I'll have in my new house. We did purposely choose a home with the back facing south, just like this one, and it's a new subdivision with baby trees that won't block my view. I'll have to find new spots to catch the view, I'm sure. That's half the fun of moving! Mostly we'll be near our family again, which is the point of the whole thing. 

Thanks for stopping by my Nest, as usual! Next year at this time, my Nest will be back home in Michigan, and this place will be someone else's Nest. Life goes on. 

February at Home

 February was a quiet month in the Nest, with not much going on. So I spent most of the month at home following my usual pursuits. I did a lot of reading, some crocheting, a little cooking, and lots of photo editing. Whenever the weather gets wintery, you'll find me going through old photos, trying to thin them out a little. Just how many photos does one need of the same flowers? Turns out, not as many as I thought at the time! 

Speaking of my usual pursuits, I didn't finish up a single craft project this month. Instead, I made progress on the neutral colors blanket I showed last month. I decided to skip another photo until it's actually finished. The only home projects I took photos of are a small valentine cake I made, and changing my tray over to St. Patrick's Day decor. I was busy, but it just doesn't show in my photos.

For lack of outdoor flowers, I did keep my vases filled with bouquets. 

We had a couple of pretty snowfalls in February, which gave me a brief window of winter scenery to enjoy. It really is the main reason why I like snow, it's so much prettier than bland winter views. 

But by mid month, the weather turned warm and my bulbs began to pop up. It's always a thrill for a gardener. 

And by the end of the month, I found blooms! Every year, I find something blooming by the end of February, and yet it always thrills me. I think it's because I lived most of my life in Michigan, and I don't think I ever saw flowers in February. But here in Ohio, I planted early bulbs, and they reward me every year. 

And so the quietest month comes to an end with my usual sky watching. I’ve always loved how much sky I can see from the Nest, it thrills me all the time. 

Thanks as usual for coming to see Life in Robin's Nest. I'm always grateful to "see" you here. March will surely hold blooms galore, so I'll look forward to posting next month. Winter does get a little drab around here, and spring should perks things up. Hope to see you then!