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. 

Fast February

For the most part, it's been The Winter That Wasn't, here in central Ohio. There has been no measurable snowfall the entire month of February, allowing my spring bulbs to pop up mid month for an early arrival. We even had a couple of 70 degree days, which I used to do a little early gardening. Legend says this means true spring will be cold and snowy. I sure hope not. But in the meantime, it's been nice to have an easy winter. By calling this post Fast February, I was thinking that we were fast forwarding towards spring. As a matter of fact, we had tornado warnings today! Now that really says spring. 

 

I spotted my first crocus on February 13, and my cute little iris reticulata shortly after that. Soon, I found hellebores and violas in bloom, then more crocus and more iris. Right now, I've got little purple flowers popping up all over. They're so tiny, I doubt that anyone realizes they're there except for me. Today, I found my Jetfire daffodils in bloom! I don't think I've ever had daffodils in February before. 

Even with mild weather, it's still usually too chilly to do much outside. I still spend a lot of time following my usual pursuits until more consistent warm weather arrives. Remember the spinach and lettuce I found growing in the garden last month? I finally picked some, and made this beautiful salad with it. What fun to have fresh greens in the middle of winter! I often find salad to be a photo worthy meal, with all those colorful vegetables. And I did make us some valentine cookies for a treat, since we don't usually celebrate the holiday much otherwise. 

Needless to say, I have continued working on my crafts. First I tried watercolors. I'm not much good at it, but it doesn't matter. It was fun to play with the paints, and try new things. I have some more watercolor inspiration to try later. Next I completed an earth tone afghan that I made just because the yarn colors inspired me. Then I finished up a beach pebble birdhouse that I started last summer. I also painted myself a polka dot monarch butterfly, just for fun. I'm currently working on a Christmas afghan, in shades of red and white. It's working up quickly, so I'll likely be able to show it off next month. As usual, I decorated my little tiered tray on my kitchen island, first with an everyday look, then for St. Patrick's Day. 

And so February went quickly by, while I mixed in several good books to read, some yoga, some shopping, lunch with friends, and other small outings. The pleasant weather sent me down to Pickerington Ponds for a few sunsets, plus I enjoyed more of them out the back door. Can you spot which one of these is actually a sunrise instead of a sunset? Sure glad that you stopped by my blog to see what's happening in the Nest. Come back again next month!