Yearning for Spring

This time of year, we're all starting to think about our gardens and outdoor living.
Spring is my favorite time of year--a time of rebirth and growth
and warm sun on my back. 

But when I look at my garden now in March, it's all brown, and crunchy, and dead-looking. 

Can I even recognize that stick of a shrub or identify that sad clump of plants?

Not much I can do about it now except start planning for spring 

and remember what it looked like last year. 

Ahh...that's better. 

I hope everything survived the winter.  

Spotting the fresh green growth of tulips and crocus blooms

poking through a layer of dead leaves is good for my soul. 

I feel relieved when I see that my favorite perennials have made it through the cold months. 

Tight buds on trees and shrubs tell me winter is on its way out and spring is near.

Honestly, this time of year everything changes so quickly, I can almost watch it grow.

My garden is all about simple pleasures. 

Early mornings are a special time when it's quiet and dreamy. 

I might hear an occasional car door close as neighbors head off to work 

or squirrels clawing the fence as they chase each other back and forth.

But, usually, morning is a tranquil time for reflection and planning my day.

Stepping outside first thing on a chilly spring morning with a cup of steaming coffee in hand, 

I walk around the garden, making mental notes of what I want to plant or change.
Think I'll move the birdbath, widen the river-biscuit path through the flowers
and plant something tall like delphiniums or larkspur against the rock wall. 

I sip my coffee as I listen to the chicadees waking up around me.
Their little song, chic-a-dee-dee-dee, welcomes spring. 

They're always the first birds to return to the garden as the air warms.  

Can flickers be far behind,
tapping their noisy love songs on metal chimneys like tiny jackhammers?

One thing I can do while it's still too cold to do any gardening, is re-think the patio.

I want to re-design this small space to give it a French Country feel.

Maybe some trimmed boxwood in my two big pots, a string of twinkly lights, 

 repositioning the wall fountain, a shuffle of furniture, new cushions, an outdoor rug ...

oh, lots of ideas and I can't wait to get started.

I've heard gardening teaches us patience.
Guess I'm still learning. 

I know we can still get snow in March (and even April) but the end of winter is in sight.

 So hang in there with me ... it's almost spring!

Only 15 more days!!

Sharing with:  Shabby Fu Fu, Thoughts from Alice, Our Southern Home, Rustic & Refined, Dwellings, Karen's up on the Hill, Between Naps on the Porch, Cozy Little House, Coastal Charm, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, Bella Rosa Antiques, Elizabeth and Co., Savvy Southern Style, Knick of Time, Maison de Pax, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson, A Delightsome Life, The Vintage Nest, Rooted in Thyme, Peonies and Orange Blossoms, Poofing the Pillows, Adirondack Girl at Heart, Hawthorne and Main, Charm of Home, French Country Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, The Cottage Market, D.D.'s Cottage and Design, The Sweet Sensations