It is finally getting light around 5:30 in the morning and I can hear the birds outside while I'm pulling together. Seems unusual this year, although it shouldn't be. I suspect it is because it is still so cold. For a brief time yesterday, there was snow in our forecast for later in the week. It's changed back to 'showers' but it gives one cause to think. I'll be heading over to the other side of the mountains in about a week, and I still have to worry about whether I have chains in the car?!?!?

The wild currents are blooming like crazy around the side of the house. I really need to take some suckers and plant them closer to the front where I can see and enjoy them more. Our cherry and plum trees are blooming wonderfully. They're fruit trees so they don't have the colored blossoms, but the white flowers look luminous in the early morning light. I just hope they're not blooming too soon to get fertilized. Also along the side of the house where I don't see them: I've got some green gage plums growing. I knew there was a tree back there, but it never produces much fruit so it tends to be ignored. Last year, when all the italian plums failed to produce much of anything, I found too late that 1) I had a new group of green plums growing on the other side of the yard, and 2) they'd apparently had a wonderful season. I'll have to try to keep a better eye on them this year.

It is pretty out and sunny and it stays light until 8:00 now (thanks to the switch to daylight savings time) which I am very surprised to find that I think is is a nice change. Well, I've always known that I enjoyed how very long it stays light in the evenings at this latitude, but I usually find the drizzle to be fresh and relaxing. But today it is sunny and I'm ready for spring to finally be here. So I've been sitting in the front room with the front door open, to let in the fresh air.

But it is COLD. I finally shut the front door so that my hands could warm up a bit. This has been a very cold spring. The weather blogs that I read have noted that we have not had a day over 60 deg F yet this April. "Seattle has never failed to reach 60 degrees in April. The record fewest are two set in 1954."* (I'm assuming that he means that April 1954 holds the record, having only two days at or above 60.)

And the flowers show it. My camellias are STILL in bloom, and I haven't seen a hint of my rhododendrons yet. There have been years where the rhodies have been spent by Mothers' Day. I'm still waiting to see if they *bloom* by Mothers' Day this year. Who knows when the lilacs will open up.

But it's nice to be able to enjoy the camellias in the sunshine for a while, and the light in the evening is pleasing. And it's warm enough that I can run out in my jacket and have put the coat into the closet (at least until the rain returns). So it will do, at least for now.


* http://www.komonews.com/weather/blogs/scott/120137964.html?blog=y

If I had one piece of advice for my younger self, it would be "Do it now." Read it now, learn it now, don't put it off. If you have any sort of dynamic life at all, then there will never be time to do it later and it only piles up.

Then again, that is probably good advice for my current self, as well. ;-)

More advice:

Look at what is needed and make sure that you'll meet it.

Always take five minutes to plan what you're going to do. Taking a moment to plan is essential to making sure you haven't missed something. On the other hand, if you take more than five minutes, you're probably getting to the point where you're planning instead of doing.

Hmmm... if throwing salt over your left shoulder gives you good luck, will throwing lint over your left shoulder give you bad luck? (cleaning the house....)