Earth Day with Ducks and Daffs

It's hard to believe we are now in the midst of an early spring after all the moaning I've done about our unseasonably cold weather. The magnolia in our front yard has outdone itself once again (for about the twentieth time!) with a spectacular display of blooms. His Madness has been taking regular walks twice a day to get his new knee in shape for the important one we took this past Earth Day. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson's earth may laugh in flowers but my little backyard coughs them up. 

Like hairballs.

A little bit here . . .  a little bit there . . .

and then one big mess in the middle.

It's not their fault I can't remember where I plant them. They're tricky little buggers. When our son Andy was two years old I put six of these Elizabeth Barrett Browning daffodil bulbs on each side of our front steps. For quite a few years they bloomed but then they disappeared and I thought they had died. It was probably due to the arborvitae that had taken over the whole front of the house. Since we were forced to remove the overgrown shrubs they reappeared and have made quite a come back and increased in numbers. I have no clue how long this will continue but we're enjoying it while it lasts.   

We live in a migratory flyway so last Saturday when I was looking out of my kitchen window I wasn't surprised to see this pair of ducks determinedly marching down the driveway. Another sign of spring!

Later, His Madness and I met up with a couple hundred people and did some marching of our own.

It's hard to believe that in 2017 it would be necessary to march in support of science!

Not to mention facts!

There were lots of signs. Clear and precise, exactly what I expected from a group of scientists.

Unfortunately they were already sold out of these totally geeky t-shirts by the time we got there. We'll pick some up at the next march. I have a feeling we will be doing it a lot during the next four years.

As for those ducks, they're probably happily on their way to Canada by now.

They'll be much better off with Justin Trudeau.

So how was your weekend?

Thanks for stopping by for an Earth Day visit!

Easterish

According to the calendar it's time to break out the bunnies and chocolate.

(It's also time to pay the taxes but there's no reason to throw a party for that!)

It doesn't matter what season we're in or which holiday we're celebrating, 

it always ends up looking a little like Halloween at our house.

It's not like we're lacking in excessively sweet and way too pastel cookie jars.

Or snazzy headgear. 

There's always a good supply of essentials for those Easter baskets.

Even the ones that really don't hold enough! Honestly, what were they thinking?

It's just that something always looks a little bit off. Did you notice the look in the eye of the tall one?

I think these bunnies may be planning a raid on the tiny (Christmas repurposed for spring) village!

Then there's the eggs.

 

Out in the garden it's a completely different story.

Mother Nature always produces the perfect blooms for the occasion.

She never fails to deliver, even up here in the frozen north!

Ok, most of the time she delivers; if there's no snow and the ground isn't still frozen.

However, she does like to stick it to those gardeners who believe they planted only purple crocuses.

Now, how about some Easter caroling?

A Happy Easter to all of you who are celebrating today.

I hope everyone is enjoying a merry spring and indulging in a chocolate bunny extravaganza!

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.