Happiness is Spring

Happiness is Spring.  And getting my first blogger award.

Jeanne from Collage of Life, In One Place and Finding My Way stopped by to give me a Happiness Award.  How awesome is that?!

Here's how it works:

1. When you have received this award 

you must thank the person who 

gave it to you in a new post.

2.  Name 10 things that make you happy.

3.  Pass the award onto ten other bloggers

and inform the winners.

Naming ten things that make me happy is easy.  Deciding which ten of all the great bloggers I read to give the award to - not so  much.  No wonder Jeanne temporarily forgot how to count!

I'll start with the easy part. Ten things that make me happy.  These are all things I experienced yesterday.

1. Birds Singing.

2. Walks.

3. My Green and Yellow Tevas.

4. Exploring the Nooks and Crannies of My Extended Neighborhood.

5. Whimsical Garden Art.

6. Pondering the Lesson of Nature.

7. Narrow Tree Lined Lanes.

8. Flowering Magnolia Trees.

9. Daffodils.

10. Spring!

 Now for the hard part!

1. Ange @ Signed by Ange for her humorous and art-inspired blogging.

2. Kate @ The Holdfast Seeker  for being a kindred spirit and her wonderful writing.

3. Lili @ Fearless Nesting for all the lovely posts she writes and all the sweet comments she leaves.

4. Marie-Jolie @ Permission to Unwind for her philosophical "yarns".

5. Meli @ Bikes and the City for pictures of bikes with coffee - I get all giddy when she posts a new one!

6. Ecogrrl @ EcoGrrl Speaks for being a faithful commenter and a such an interestingly eclectic blogger.

7. Dawn @ Dawn's bloggy blog for all the birding trips I get to experience vicariously through her blog.

8. Tiff @ Carbzilla for being such a fun person and living in Seattle so I can enjoy her company in person.

9. Averie @ Loves Veggies and Yoga for her smiling face and words and so many yummy recipes!

10. Small Footprints @ Reduce Footprints for her artsy green-inspiring self!

Phew!  I made it!  Thank you to all of you who visit my blogs and help create the community that makes blogging all that much more rewarding.

Signs of Spring

We had our first picnic of the year (and since we moved back) at Parson's Gardens this last Friday. It was a sunny day, although the breeze from the west was chilly. We plopped down on a picnic blanket and had our picnic fare while listening to Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Flickers and Anna's Hummingbirds all voice their springtime thoughts. It does seem like spring is finally moving into our area. Later that same day, I stuck my nose in the first Daphne bloom of the season outside the Elizabeth C. Miller library at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Glorious. The following few days lent more signs of spring. Like the first blooming daffodil showing its sunny face amongst the gardens at Interbay P-Patch. There was the blooming and odoriferous skunk cabbage along the Wolf Tree Trail in Discovery Park. It was along that same trail that I spotted a single open salmon berry blossom - a sure sign of the coming spring and the coming Rufous Hummingbirds, now I'll be keeping my eyes out more closely. The stinging nettles are popping up along side the trails out at Discovery Park as well and the Osoberry or Indian Plum is bursting with green. I love this time of year. There is so much new growth, new hope, new energy. The birds begin to carry nest material and do their little dances to impress potential mates. The Anna's Hummingbirds sit at the top of the trees and chatter and skritch and if another male comes into the area you'll hear just how loud such a little bird can be as it goes diving after its rival. Ducks are paired up for the most part. I see the crows hanging out more in twos and threes lately. Gardeners are preparing their soil for potatoes and radishes and other early spring plantings. And I am eagerly awaiting the full blown spring, enjoying these little signs of winter's end while the rain pours once again outside my window.