Don't mind us as we flip onto our backs and wiggle in the grass for a little while...

Awesome weekend. Sun, a few sprigs of green starting to poke out from beneath the dead leaves, and birds galore. Tink is now officially back to being an outdoor-indoor-outdoor (repeat until you can't stand it) cat.

We cleaned up all of the old husks and leaves from the flower beds. I ran Margaret (the thatcher) across the front lawn a few times and then swept up the piles of dead grass and leaves she set loose. Took a few stabs at cleaning the pond but I really need: a) a wet suit, b) cover myself in bear grease, or c) drain the pond. That, or find a fish that loves to eat algae.

The photo is from one of our lily collections. We trimmed it last weekend and already the shoots are a few inches long.

This is such a great time of the year, full of surprises. Beneath last year's drab, dead waste lies a well spring of life striving for Sun and warmth. Each day is different. Each day we wake up a little more, feel a little lighter, as if we've been going through the motions and only now emerge from six months of walking hibernation.