Bring On The Mud

My good friend Rosanne said, yesterday, that she would rather have snow and ice than mud.

Oh, no. Not me. Give me the mud, any day.

Why? Because it means it's melting.

I like winter, when it first begins. But oh, do I love the Spring when things begin to melt.

Even before the first sprouts peek up, fighting their way through mulch and mud, just the sound of dripping water, and knowing that Spring really is, finally, coming, is all I need. Although the sprouts are good to see.

I am kicking myself for not planting the winter aconite I promised myself last Spring I'd plant. This fall, Kim, even if it threatens to kill you, order and plant some winter aconite. And snowdrops. And glory of the snow. Trust me on this, Kim. It will be worth the effort, come next Spring.

But you'll be pleased to hear that 40 degrees and melting was enough to actually get me outside today. Yes, I am not kidding. Me. Outside. And not just to get to the car. I stood in the snow and saw the sun. Really. Here's proof:

Of course, the children went out, too. They sledded, stomped, knocked down fort walls, climbed, swung, and painted the fort with pine branches dipped in puddles. It doesn't get much better than that.

Here's Buzz discussing shoveling, and Little D scaling the fort wall:

Here's Em and Ilia braving the Sled Ramp:

And Tobi-Wan on a big snowball:

And last, but not least, a picture I shall title: Gark: Self-Portrait with Runny Nose

Oh, and if you like the sprout and icicle pix, there's a few more of those at my Flickr space. Click those words, or one of the pix, or even the little badge to your left. There's so many roads that lead to my Flickr.