Spring, at last!

I have been waiting for my daffodils to bloom for several weeks. When I went into the hospital on March 22 for surgery, these beauties were budding. I got home from the hospital on March 26 and they still were just buds. Last week they finally blossomed out into the sunshine. It is just over 3,000 feet elevation here at Ivy Lane and the flowers and trees are slowly emerging from winter's hibernation. We had snow on March 28 as evidenced from this picture of my Christmas tree (yes, Christmas tree!) on my back deck.

This wonderful Allegheny County Fraser Fir tree has remained so beautiful I couldn't bear to get rid of it. The decorations were primarily popcorn and cranberries and dried orange slices so the birdies have had fun with it. Putting peanut butter and bird seed on the branches several times resulted in a whole new activity: bird watching! Red hearts for Valentine's Day and green shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day didn't seem to bother the flock. I don't think the tree will last till Easter otherwise I might put those "lovely" plastic eggs on it....or not.

I am regaining my strength and am so ready to get back into the yard to work. This time of recovery has been filled with friends who have taken their time to come and be with me. I have loved having the time to just visit, or ponder the great mysteries of life, or watch a movie with my friends. Even the silences have seemed precious to me in the company of good friends and family. As I planned for this recovery time, there was the anxiety and "guilt" of asking others to take time to be here with me. I know my own tendencies to want to "do it myself" and feeling vulnerable is not a comfortable place for me; yet, these days have seemed precious. The gift of family and friends is the richest joy of all.