Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Wait Five Minutes

Friday, March 19 was the last day of Winter.
The temperature was in the upper 60's that day!
A wonderful day for pruning.  We've had a number of mild days this month so we were able to get out in the field.  Finally.
In fact, Friday, March 19, the last day of Winter, was our last day of pruning.

The weather was gorgeous so we got a lot done.
We cut and hauled loads of canes to the burn pile.

I took a quick look around the farm and saw evidence of Spring, which would officially be here the next day.
The bees were out enjoying the warm sun foraging for I'm not sure what but whatever it was it had them in a good mood.  Not good enough, however, for me to move in close for a close-up.

Flowers were blooming.......

Ahhhhh, Spring!

Well, enough of this joy riding around the farm.  I knew I needed to get back to work.  I was, after all, here to prune.  The team needed me and I didn't want to let them down so I high-tailed it back to the bushes to get the job done.

I got there just in time, too.  Just in time to snap some shots of the last bush being pruned.  Man, it's a good thing I had my camera and could document the moment.  A fact none of the others seemed impressed by.  I think they thought I was using my photography as a way to get out of pruning.   Not me.  I accomplished two jobs that day....pruning and photography.  I was willing to put in the extra effort. It's just the kind of person I am.  Sacrificial.  But, I don't think they get it.


Anyway, here's the picture I snapped of the last branch being pruned off the last bush.  They all look pretty happy to be finished.  And it wasn't just a put-on.  We were happy.  So happy in fact that we decided to celebrate the close of another year of pruning by going to Sonic for some treats.  We also celebrated the first day of pruning with a trip to Sonic.  We've done it every year so we felt we needed to keep the tradition going.


The weather was so nice we were able to sit outside at Sonic!  I didn't get a picture of that but I had my camera with me intending to.  I was just more occupied with munching my treats so the photo opportunity came and went and I didn't discover my oversight until we were on the way home.

In our family we like to celebrate things and we had decided that Spring was worthy of celebrating. So we had grilled pizza that evening.  One of the girls made a cake decorated with spring colors that we enjoyed after dinner.  There were even some spring decorations hanging from the ceiling.  Tomorrow was the official start of Spring and we were not going to miss the opportunity to celebrate.

There is a saying in Missouri:  "If you don't like the weather just wait five minutes.  It will change."

That saying has never been more true than it was the next day, March 20th....the first day of Spring.


We woke up to temperatures some 30 degrees lower than when we went to bed!
   This is what the first day of Spring looked like outside the window after a snow storm that lasted all day.

  This is our back yard on March 20th, otherwise known as the First Day of Spring!

The sunny yellow flowers of yesterday were buried under 7 inches of snow.    The warm balmy breezes were gone and in their place was cold harsh wind mixed with snow and freezing rain.

It was quite a slap in the face for those of us who had been reveling in the springtime conditions of yesterday.

But, that is Missouri.  It's a state where you can enjoy a good taste of all four seasons.  Sometimes from one day to the next.  Really.........if you don't like the snow just wait five minutes, spring will be here in no time!

You'll be glad to know that the berries are fine.  The buds are forming but not open enough to be harmed by the cold. 


March 19, 2010

March 20, 2010