Spring!

I smelled it just the other day...and again today. It was on the wind...spring. Temps rocketed into the 40s today and after our walk we sat on the deck with our faces to the sun just soaking it up. Luxurious! the eaves are dripping with snow melt and there's the occasional rumble of snow sliding off the roof. Thoughts turn to lettuces and radishes and those first opportunities to dig in the dirt and get things growing--always a rush. Less than a month and I'll bet there will be peepers in the pond. Two months and the hummers will be back!

March Madness

I'm not really mad mad...but exceptionally enthusiastic about a lot of things going on right now. A new computer is headed our way in a few days that will be light years ahead of what I'm using right now. I've got new software coming with it too. Plans are afoot for lots of creative projects, some that use a computer and some that will require getting my hands dirty--my favorite! Been working on putting items up in my etsy shop....  http://www.etsy.com/shop/foxrunstudios and have ideas for so much more. 

We finally got some really nice snow to play in...even though it's March! Temps are going to get warmer next week though.

It's the birth month for me and my husband, Tom, so we always plan a little something special for the both of us. I think we're going to go to Portland for a day to a boat show and a trade show....exhausting but so much fun to get out there!

In March I always miss daffodils, which bloom this month if you live in Maryland. In Maine, daffodils might bloom in May...if we're lucky! But I AM planning my garden for growing a few more veggies than last year. We'll be doubling its size...from "postage stamp" to maybe "address label"!

Snowshoeing with Friends

Yesterday afternoon under perfectly clear blue skies we snowshoed out from our house to the old xc ski trails and enjoyed an hour+ with some friends, our happy dog, and spectacular views of Saddleback in the sunset as we returned from our jaunt. A lovely winter afternoon it was.

Finally it's Winter

Nine months of distraction and I'm back at the same place I was trying to get a blogger page on a website. Three new websites have been birthed since then. www.rangeleysnowflake.com, www.foxrunstudios.com, www.rlrlm.org. Another one is due any minute now–I need to stop typing and get on over to the creative suite.

Winter was a long time coming but it's finally here. We have enough snow for snow sports and all but the tallest grass has finally disappeared under the snow. Ahhhh.

Once a year--just enough or not enough

I'm working on designing a web page and need to test out how to design a blog page and make it "connect" to the website. So, here I am at my own blog to work on this experiment. It's been over a year since my last post. Geez, talk about lack of follow-up! Spring is slower this year. No peepers yet, but the pond is melting fast and the snow even faster. it has been a long, cold, and very snowy winter. Six months of snow cover is enough. The mud is coming along nicely and the bugs are hatching--I see more variety every day. Black flies will be along soon and so will BBQ season!!

Bigger Than Peepers

You know about spring peepers, right? The little tiny frogs that show up in early spring and make a racket for a few weeks in any boggy spot? Well, this weekend, in less than 12 hours from the time that an edge of the pond melted, we had the big band frogs going at it--they sound like the noise you make chewing on a rubber band. What, you've never chewed on a rubber band? I can tell you, it's no "peep"! And these guys worked fast too. When I first heard them they were on opposite ends of the pond. By late afternoon they were next to each other doing that froggy spring thing they do! I guess up here in Maine there's a limited season for these things, no sense wasting time. As the commercial on TV says, "Life comes atcha fast!" Pay attention!

Mud Season Begins

It's rained now for three days (bringing awful memories of last summer when it rained for 8 WEEKS!) and it's shrinking our snow pack visibly every day. Here we go rushing, with the rivers, into spring...otherwise known as mud season here in the mountains of Maine. It's nice not having to be frantic about keeping the fire burning day and night to keep warm. But we're a long way from not burning wood every day. Temps are moderating and I look forward to spending time outside washing windows this weekend so we can see all that wonderfulness of nature all the more clearly! The big, ol' turkeys should be showing up pretty soon. They come around every year about this time and almost every day they have they appointed "rounds". The goldfinches are back and have gulped an entire huge feeder full of thistle seed in 4 days since they arrived. Must've been a long, hard trip from where ever they came. I'm glad to hear their chatter when I walk outside. Only about 2 more weeks til ice out if we're lucky and only 6 more weeks before we can put out the hummingbird feeders! Come on spring, rush right along like those rivers, don't delay!