BETTER THAN THIS?

Is there anything better than working outside in the yard all day until you are tired and dirty, then crawling into a hot bath and soaking until your muscles say AHHHHH...?

Don't think so... well maybe a few things are better - like getting an all's clear on your recent mammogram - that trumps just about anything for a cancer survivor.

But a hot bath after a day working, is such a supreme pleasure, is it not?

That's what we have been doing.  Cleaning up the needles left everywhere in our yard by our now removed, dead trees.  My main task has been getting them all removed from the actual garden where I want to plant vegetables.  I have accomplished that, I hope - but still everywhere one walks in the back yard one hears and feels the crunch of needles beneath one's shoes.  So far we have four large orange bags of needles, and we have only done  1/3 of the yard.

It has been hard work, but I really don't mind being outside under the bright blue sky... it is so much better than rain and snow!  And there have been some delightful surprises along the way.

I had a pile of compost I had left last fall in the furthest corner of my garden, I decided to move it and clean the area up so the whole garden can be tilled in a few weeks.  As I was lifting the compost with my garden fork, I saw a bit of movement.  Turns out my very large Toad had been wintering in the compost pile. (Remember my post about him last fall?) There he was fast asleep, all buried safe and warm in rotting vegetation - talk about living in luxury!  I covered him back up and marked the spot with a stick.

Now I am worried about his location when it comes time for our garden to be tilled.  I really want that spot to be tilled, but I don't want to disturb him, and I don't want him to leave my yard.

What I do want to leave, is the blasted MOLE that is still there.  He has moved under the hedge to start some more tunnels in my neighbours yard, but also is digging up a storm in mine.  There had been no activity last fall, so I thought that he had moved on - Not so!

My neighbour has bought and placed a trap that looks like a torture chamber in extreme, but I am not sure it will actually catch the critter.  I have declared war on this pest - he's goin down - one way or another!

That is a story that will be continued at some point...

For now it's endless days warming to real spring temps; working outside every day accomplishing much on my to-do list, and enjoying my first spring in the country.

Can't get much better than that!