Although it doesn’t quite feel like it all the time just yet, we have seen some glimpses of spring temperatures sneak into the weather these last two weeks.  The crocuses have already come and gone, the daffodils are starting to bloom, and the flowering cherry trees in front of my house are just about at their peak perfection, which is always a sign that the weather has turned.  Soon, the redbuds will appear, along with magnolias and Bradford pears (which quite honestly, should all be trimmed with a chainsaw, right at ground level through the main trunk).

My garden beds have been prepped and fertilized, and I’ve already sown my first pea crop of the new year.  I plan on hitting my garden hard this season, and although I only have two 4 ft. x 4 ft. raised beds and four half whiskey barrels to work with, I plan on attempting a wide variety of spring, summer, and fall crops this year.  My chives have already come back strong in my herb barrel, and I may even try to start a few seeds indoors to get a jump on my summer tomatoes, peppers, yellow squash, and cucumbers. 

My “to do” list includes cleaning out the shed next to the house this spring, but not until after I’ve pulled out all of the summer patio and porch furniture.  I haven’t gone hog wild on setting out all of that just yet, but I did pull two chairs and an end table from the shed and got them placed.  I just can’t resist sitting on that wonderful porch once a warm evening arrives, enjoying a good book, sipping on a beverage, and watching the traffic (and people) go by.

My retirement schedule has allowed me to have already taken care of cleaning up my fence row and bushes of last year’s leaves and junk, so there are large clumps of tulips and other flowers reaching up to the sky from the side yard, just in time for Easter blooms.  It’s nice to attack these types of jobs a little at a time – one of the many benefits of retired life.

Speaking of that retirement schedule, I’ve settled into a pretty good routine of waking up early and walking a few miles in the morning to start my day.  I’m usually back in time for a cup of morning coffee just as the sun lifts over the horizon, after which it’s time to get in some daily Spanish practice on my Duolingo app (Si, yo soy mas ocupado en la manana) – have to keep the mind as sharp as the body these days.

I’ll be outside more than in here in a few weeks, tending the garden, piddling in the yard, or hitting a few golf balls.  I like to keep busy, and spring is the perfect time to get into some good habits.

Enjoy the warming weather (and cool nights).  Summer (and its stifling heat and humidity) will be here before we know it!