The first signs of spring...

I was out working in the yard yesterday afternoon. I have a very old French lilac tree in my backyard that has been neglected for a long time. Lilacs need to have their "woody" branches removed because those become very susceptible to pests and disease. However, my lilac is mostly "woody" branches (former owners obviously didn't care for it properly) so I've used a renovation method of removing only a few every year. Oddly enough, it's best to remove then in February. So, there I was, studying my lilac, trying to determine which of the woody branches to hack out this year. I finally selected two to remove...the ones that annoy me most when mowing the yard...and did some pruning of the offshoots that were creeping out into the yard. I was glad to see plenty of the new shoots from last year were still doing well. They will have to take the place of the branches I remove. I also did some hacking and pruning in the line of lilacs that separate my yard from my neighbors. I don't know of those belong to me or them, but obviously they weren't going to be doing anything and the ash tree growing in the middle of the bunch bothered me. It was getting to the height where it could tangle in the electrical lines in the back, so...I hacked it. It was heavy! I need to take a stepstool out there and continue hacking at the mulberry tree, but I was too tired yesterday to do anything more. I had already chased down Sadie (her collar broke and she got loose -- she was a sprinting white blur with ears flapping in the wind when I saw her). She was hell bent on freedom! I just wish she hadn't chosen the neighbor yard with the German shepherd for her first adventure. I finally tricked her into getting close enough to grab then had to carry a very squirmy bundle back home. She may be small, but she's got muscle!

Back to the lilacs, as I was standing there staring at them I suddenly realized that buds had begun to grow on the tips. I was delighted! It was the first sign of spring and I welcomed it! I began looking around for more signs and found new green growth under piles of leaves. Other trees in the yard were showing new green growth and I felt like skipping. Winter is nearing the end and I can't wait for warmer temps! I want to get a head start into planting flowers this year. I have tons of seeds collected from last year and am anxious to see how they do!