Hi, everyone!
The first week of April, one of my crocus friends finally bloomed! It is on the south side of Grandma and Grandpa’s house, so it’s always the first one I see.
A week ago Friday, Grandma and Grandpa took me out to Sodus for the first time since we got back from Hawaii. There was still snow and ice on our road, so we had to walk in from the other road. There was a big branch of a maple tree down in the yard. It was raining so hard that the porch was wet! On Saturday, the rain stopped. The lawn was really soggy, but Grandma and I went out to check on the plants. The deer have been using our shrubs as a salad bar! They ate all the blooming parts right off the azaleas and rhododendron! Grandma says a long winter is hard on the deer, too, and they go looking for plants they would otherwise leave alone. Grandma says we won’t have many flowers this year, but the last time this happened the plants grew back bushier than before.
After we looked at the plants, we went down to look at the dock. The bay was still frozen! Some years, the ice is all gone by the end of February!
Last Sunday, Grandma took me along to the Penfield High School Robotics team car wash. My friends the Packer-sans are on that team, and they are raising money to go to the national championships. It was fun to watch from inside while Grandma’s car got washed and dried by three separate teams! Look how clean the car was afterwards!
This past week, more of my flower friends started to bloom around Grandma and Grandpa’s house, but there were still a few patches of snow, too. We could see a lot of branches left from pruning the apple trees that had been hiding in the snow.
When we went out to the bay again last Friday, the snow was gone from our road and we could drive in. Look at the difference in the bay in just one week! The water is still very cold, and I saw a few pieces of floating ice before they melted in the sun.
Today is the warmest day we’ve had since last summer! Some of my daffodil friends are getting ready to bloom. I helped Grandma pick up the rest of the pruned branches and stack them for the town to pick up. There might be more snow Tuesday, but I think spring is really here!
Love,
Lion-san
We are hoping the snow waits at least till Wed or Tuesday afternoon after knitting. Yes it is spring, Nancy-san has basil, broccili and tomtoes up and in the greenhouse! The deer have to eat too, especially after a cold snowy winter, but it is always sad when they pick your plants to eat! The bushes will be really pretty next year.
Nancy-san even took her sweatshirt off during the walk this AM.