Springtime Begins

Daffodils are blooming along our country roadsides where someone long ago planted them, and now they have spread over great areas. We are drinking sassafras tea. Gerald has found two duck nests with a single egg in them. The martins have returned and are perched on the houses chirping happily. Spring is definitely here.

I guess yesterday was the first day of spring this year. One of our dictionaries says the equinox occurs around March 21; another dictionary says March 22. But on someone’s website, I saw that yesterday was that first day of spring this year.

Regardless of the exact date, I welcomed spring today by cleaning out the henbit from the day lily bed and re-mulching it. Fortunately henbit is easily pulled. The occasional wild onion had deep roots and was harder to pull or dig out. Almost impossible to get out is the grass I allowed to establish itself in some of the clumps of day lily. Not only do I have trouble distinguishing between the lily leaves and the grass, but the grass roots wind around the day lily. It is tough to remove. It was past suppertime, so I finally gave up on the last clump. I will have to try it again at another time.

We are watching the end-of-the-season volleyball games and first-of-the season softball games. Switching over from winter activities to the new season’s responsibilities makes it yet another busy time on the farm. And tomorrow is Gerald’s birthday, so he and the brothers are deciding where they will eat breakfast in the morning.

Ken won’t be eating with them yet. He had to return for more chemo last Friday after a week at home. This time there was a bed at John Cochran Veterans Hospital, so he and Opal are there this week. Although he has done extremely well, this continued chemo is standard treatment we understand. He was started with two bags of the milder chemo. Right now he is the harsher chemo, and as often happens, he is running a temp. Nevertheless, so far, so good. He hopes to be back home again this weekend. He still has one of the same doctors that he had at Barnes.

Gerald and I had talked that we could take any of the local children, who could go, to supper for Gerald’s birthday after we watch the Johnston City-Nashville softball game at Johnston City tomorrow night. We’ve just realized, however, that the Salukis will be playing at 6:10 tomorrow night, so we don’t think anyone will want to go to supper right then. HMMM.