Sunday, March 7, 2010

Ray, A Drop of Golden Sun

This has been a glorious week of sunshine and melting. The earth is stirring.

The sap has begun running in my white spruce trees along the back of the property. If you click on this one you can see the reflection of the blue sky in the droplet.


The birds are loving it (and when I went down to the river today it was opening up and two geese were honking - they're baaaack!)


Last year's wild purple asters are gleaming their last stand before they are replaced by this year's growth.


And best of all - the great retreat is on! I can see mulched beds and lawn! This is the first spring we have seen this thrilling sight here as it was just last summer that we had the gravel (left by previous owners) taken out of the yard and good earth and beds and sod put in. Believe me, this is so much more exciting to see.


Welcome back garden! We are going to have so much fun together this year! :-)



23 comments:

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

Great post! Love the water droplet picture. The term 'great retreat' is awesome! I had forgotten what the exact outline of my beds are, it was nice to sit out in the yard this weekend and see the contours again. :)

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

PS. Love the new header! Such lovely, soft colours.

Anonymous said...

Dear Ms.S, I really do share your excitement at seeing your garden start to emerge, albeit slowly, from the clutches of winter. You will, as you say, have such fun this year planning out your borders and adding to your plantings. I shall look forward to hearing of progress as it is made.

Linda said...

Your 'great retreat' made me smile! It looks like your own mini ice age retreating.

I'll be interested to watch your garden unfold this spring.

Victoria said...

Gorgeous post! The droplet is awe-inspiring magic ! And that lovely little woodpecker..adorable!
Great post!
Have a happy day!
Kiki~

Laurrie said...

I too love the great retreat... well said! I watch for it and revel in every inch that becomes exposed in the shadier corners of my yard.

Deborah at Kilbourne Grove said...

Wow, that water drop, a very cool picture.
I am so happy the snow is retreating, I can't wait to see how your garden looks this year.

miss m said...

Great shots ! The sap drop is so cool, and the woodpeck and aster are just lovely ! I will admit I'm envious, with all the snow still lingering here.

(I'm mentally running my toes through your mulch at the moment, I hope you don't mind ! :D)

sweetbay said...

How exciting that you can see your garden again! Such a welcome sight. I too think your new header shot is beautiful.

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Rebecca: Thanks for stopping by – twice! :-) I think this is the best retreat ever. After having had a backyard full of gravel, this is the first year we have seen beds and grass magically appearing from under the snow – most exciting!

Edith: It is a most thrilling time of year – better than Christmas, *maybe*. I have so much to do in this long forgotten garden. It feels like I am inching along – but there is progress and I shall post it! :)

Linda: Isn’t this time of year the greatest retreat of all? Bye-bye winter! Hello spring!

Kiki: I saw that little drop of sap and I was so excited – the sap is moving, the sap is moving – there is life again! It is magical.

Laurrie: The snow is drifted in my back yard and the shady side seems to be buried quite deep yet. Another week like this though and I will be able to see the remains of my shade perennials. Fingers crossed everybody made it through the winter!

Deborah: This will be year three of structural changes – and then, sigh, just gardening after that! (So I say now…!) My garden is teaching me patience… :-)

miss m: You made me laugh! Let me tell you, my mulch is preeeeetty chilly right about now!

Sweet bay: Thank you regarding the header shot. It is from a cluster of pots by the back door last summer. I took this pic on the very last day before a frost turned them to mush. I miss them…!

Ruthie Redden said...

Isn't it wonderful to see spring properly peepng through, lovely lifting post, thank you x x

Anna said...

It must be great to see that blanket of snow melt and rediscovering your garden again :)

Iowa Gardening Woman said...

Lovely photos, I can not wait to see some green.

kate smudges said...

I loved seeing the sky reflected in the water droplet. What a cool photograph! And how wonderful to see your garden again. That is one of the best sights of spring to me. It`s simply no fair that you can see your garden while mine is buried under several feet of snow. The temperature is stubbornly refusing to go above 0c. One of these days ... hope you are having a great week!

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Ruthie: It is wonderful! I hope for a long spring with pretty showers between fresh sunny days.

Anna: It is! I am very anxious to see what all survived a winter that had a couple of days so cold we could have been the Arctic – or Antarctic!

IGW: Me too! I dream in green…!

Kate: This is such an exciting time of year – better than Christmas in some ways. I hope all my little pals in the garden are okay. :)

Ellie Mae's Cottage said...

This time of year certainly is magical! I love seeing everyone's garden come to life!

Stone Art's Blog said...

Love that droplet photo, nicly taken

Liisa said...

Ms. S-
Isn't it wonderful to feel and see these first signs of spring?! Some years ago I would never have thought that the sight of dirt would make me so happy. ;) We are enjoying some milder temperatures, too, and this morning I was able to enjoy the sunrise on the front porch while in my fleece jacket. (No hat, scarf, or thick winter coat...) Your winter asters look just beautiful against the snowy backdrop. I hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend.

Jo Potter said...

Beautiful photos. Spring is nearly here... Yay!
Best wishes.
Jo May.:)

OF SPRING AND SUMMER said...

I like your new header!
I am glad to hear that there are signs of spring. They are always welcome!
Have a nice weekend.
Ingrid

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Ms. S !! I saw the blue sky in the drop : ) what an amazing photo you snapped !
We have been in a rain period which is supposed to revert to sun and warm temps by tomorrow we hope .. fingers crossed no sneaky snow storms will try to come back ? haha
Love seeing the birds too .. bird song is back in the mornings and that is so wonderful to hear : )
Joy

Shady Gardener said...

This was a fun post (as was the previous one) that also made me smile. Loved your creative photos... and YOU will have a wonderful time outdoors this year! Your little fellow will be fun to watch. :-)

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Thank you everybody for dropping by and for your kind comments. I can see by your own blogs that spring is making her presence known all over - yay!!! I look forward to seeing your emerging gardens over the next little while. :-)