Getting ahead of spring…

The weather’s 40 by day and 20 by night, which means that the trees are confused but budding and the sap is rising fast. This means get out there and trim and clip and rake…I got half the apple tree pruned and the wands diced for the bin, we have a bin-full left from last fall and no pickup until March, but I’m filling garbage cans to dump into the green can when it’s empty. One smaller limb of the hawthorn broke in this last week’s wind, and that has to be dealt with—it’s an aged tree, so this sort of thing is to be expected. And we can’t put a thick bit of wood into the green bin…has to go in the trash. Plus there’s going to be a pond cleanout and refill, part of the spring routine, plus renewing the netting.

I’m also raking pinecones, or fir cones or whatever they are. Lots of them. If only these were a food crop, eh? But I have to vary jobs because my back just won’t take one steady job for hours.

Next comes the annual checkups, and more dental work. Sigh. I so do not look forward to these. But spring is out there, the sky is brilliant blue, the weather is crisp and sweatshirt weather while you’re actively working, and we’re off on our latest weight-loss effort.