SPRING IS HERE!

Spring has arrived in NE Tennessee. It is a beautiful sight to see. Daffodils have come and gone. Tulips, Lilacs, and the beautiful blooming dogwood trees are all in full flowering splendor now. Redbud trees add splashes of scarlet and crimsom to the landscape, that highlight the yellow greens of fresh and newly formed leaves.

We have had warm weather on and off, for about 3 or 4 weeks now, but nights have been cold and frost has still been a possibility. Our weather man is saying that last night should be about the last of the cold nights and that we can soon plant our tomato plants and our annual flowering plants.

The air is fresh and clean, and the smell of the newly turned soil fills my nostrils as I pound the steel posts into the freshly tilled garden, which hold the wire fencing that I grow my cucumbers on. My seeds have been planted, and all that is left to do, is plant the greenhouse grown plants, such as bell peppers, jalapenos, tomatoes and squash.

Tomorrow I will mow the lawn. That is my favorite outside chore. I love the smell of newly mown grass, and as I mow to the top of the knoll in the back yard, I can see the whole hollow, and the black angus cows and horses that reside here as my close neighbors. The freshly mowed lawn always leaves me with a urge to lay out a blanket in the sun, and to read a book, but there are chores to be done, and relaxation is in the completion of my chores and the satisfaction of being
outdoors.

Next week my agenda includes preparing the 5th wheel camping trailer for the season. When I get sick of nature's wonders around here, we hook up and move to a location near a lake, or river, and enjoy a couple of days of sitting around a campfire drinking our coffee and chatting with newfound friends. The trailer has to be washed, wheel bearings packed, water system flushed out, and 5th wheel hitch lifted into the box of the pickup and pinned down.

Yep! God stripped all the old leaves from the trees, and blanketed the mountains in clouds of gray for the winter. Now they have come out of hibernation, and are vibrant with color again. The birds have taken their winter excursions to warmer places, but are now back and in excellent voice. I once again, am able to take my coffee outside at 7 AM and listen to the songbirds chirp and sing while I read my morning paper.

I sit and think about my sons and grandchildren, on their way to work and to school. I think of my friends in NC and their little boy. She rides to school with him every day on their bicycles, and meets him when school is out, so they can peddle back home together. I make my plans for the day, and thank God that I was able to live to retirement age. I thank him for my wonderful soul mate and her support in all of my endeavors. I reminisce about the days gone by when I too, had to rise early to report to work .

Retirement is a wonderful thing. It is a time when you have time to contemplate and enjoy God's blessings and nature's wonders to their fullest. I am like an old race horse, out to pasture, but with a firm grip on my keyboard and coffee cup, LOL.

All I need now is a laptop and WIFI, or an internet connection in the carport, so I could enjoy nature's wonders, while blogging away under the blue sky with it's puffy, cottonball, clouds moving slowly to the horizon and out of sight. Heck, I might even learn to mulit-task, and mow with the tractor, while keyboarding on a laptop, haha!

Well it is springtime in Tennessee, and it is supper time here in the hollow, so I will have to say good bye for now. God bless you all, and may all of you take the time to stop and enjoy mother nature's slide show that we call spring.

Clipper