Here they come

Finally had myself a leisurely stroll through the garden.

Amazing what one can see when it is not

lashing

with

rain.

My old friends are reappearing ...

it's so good to see them!

so I made the rounds, said a few hellos, took their portraits.

Both the white & red flowering currants are already near to bursting,

important for the hummers who have little else to feed on when they arrive

[which should be any day now].

I did spy the first pair of tree swallows this afternoon, a sure sign

that spring is winging in ...

Call me a plant nerd, but I have an enormous soft spot for clematis and 

how they appear to regenerate new limbs from

absolutely dead-looking wooden stems ... it's a wonder

and I marvel at the process every year.

And I also marvel at this beauty, the evergreen Clematis 'Snowdrift'

for she's  scented

and this year she's almost covered the arbor ... standing under there

is going to be something quite close to heaven itself.

open

open

open !

A BIG welcome back to my reliable dye friends, too ... rose leaves,

maple leaves

and my dear old scrubby friend, the native willow

who generously gave me such deep, rich color last fall.

More on that story will follow

because although my friends here have been laying dormant all winter,

I have not.

I've been finishing a few things and that feels mighty good ...