A Friday Afternoon in Spring

I envy all of you who live where things are blooming already. As you can see by the picture I took this afternoon while sitting on my south deck, things aren't blooming here. While the grass is beginning to green up, the leaf buds on the trees are still tightly closed. It doesn't matter, tho. I took advantage of a lull in problem-solving to leave work early and get some things done...like having my oil changed. When you drive a vehicle with 200,000+ miles on it, these routine maintenance things become critical, and I was 'way overdue for new oil. Picked up a few groceries while I waited for the service to be completed and still arrived home in time to drag out a lawn chair and sit outside in the sun for awhile. It felt so good! While I can't describe any beautiful flowers for you, I can tell you how spring on a mild Iowa afternoon sounds. I was seranaded by red-wing blackbirds and the rat-a-tat-tat of at least two different woodpeckers. A pheasant squawked from the brush along the creek and mourning doves coo'ed along each side of the road. And from the hilltop to the east, the laughing voices of the three children who live there drifted across my little valley. I saw them get off the school bus earlier as I drove home; now their exuberant squeals announced to the world that they were thrilled that school was out and it was finally warm enough to play outside. A glass of merlot and my new France Today magazine made my afternoon complete.