From this window - 4/21/14...

Cloudy and warm today.  The tree frogs have found their voices and are loud enough to drown out conversation.  The cardinals are nesting in one of the pine trees behind the new raised bed.  The chickadees have claimed the "Post Office" birdhouse next to the wiegela.  The Eastern Screech Owl found a new perch after we accidentally ran him off his last one.  We were quiet looking for him and left him where we found him, hopefully to find him again.  We are sure they are nesting in the box Carl built for the woodpeckers.  There are gray feathers stuck to the opening in the box and he's a little gray cutie so....  The Japanese honeysuckle is leafed out along with the Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle.  The day lilies are up about six inches and the iris are sending up leaves.  The peonies have broken ground.  The birds are starting to be very vocal in the morning and evening.  Territories to be defended, females to be won.

We have done so much yard work already with a long list to go.  The front beds have been cleaned out and mulched.  The bed along the garage has been mostly edged with gray brick, we're trying to figure out how to do the curve so we can finish.  The pond bed has been pretty much stripped of all the flowers.  The gazebo has been vacuumed and hosed out, the furniture has been donated to our daughter and new furniture purchased, put together and installed.  We are still waiting for two deck chairs and two ottomans that were back ordered but we have two chairs, a chaise lounge and four side tables set up.

Friday could start work on the pond so anything that's left will be destroyed.  The raised bed has been weeded and mulched.  We still have the shade bed and the fenced bed to finish.  We need to tie up the Wisteria, trim the trumpet vines, rake, weed and Preen the shade bed, transplant the Japanese Honeysuckle to the arbor, dig up the iris from the pond bed and move it, and install a 4x4 for the platform bird feeder.  I transplanted so much over the weekend that rain would be welcome.

This morning I brought my coffee out to the gazebo (where I am now) and listened to the world wake up.  My most favorite time of the day is as the sun breaks the horizon and the birds sing heaven's praises.  My daughter said we need to move closer to town, but we said, nah!  No turkeys, foxes, tree frogs, dragonflies, deer or coyote in town (at least we didn't have any at our last homes).  We like the quiet of the country (except for those damn tree frogs).  Just kidding, but when the tree frogs and the American toads put on a concert, it's time for ear plugs.

The wren arrived yesterday, the bluebirds have not been seen anywhere, the Brown Thrasher started advertising his territory this morning.  He copies songs from other birds and skillfully weaves them into his song so sometimes he sounds like a Cardinal and sometimes like a Robin.  The Chipping Sparrows are out in force but haven't started singing.  Maybe the females aren't here yet.