Spring is finally coming along :-)

Yay, spring! I believe it has finally sprung here in southeast Iowa. These daffodils are next to the house on the east side of the foundation, so they're always the first daffs to bloom -- but they're fully blooming.

This photo was taken on April 5, nearly two weeks ago. I'm a little
disappointed in the show these crocus made, as I planted 500 of them
in mixed colors. We got white and yellow, and a few purple ones
showed themselves, but not until later than the first two colors.
Does this really look like 500 crocus?
(They are very pretty backlit by late afternoon sun, though.)

We've been helped along by some 70- and 80-degree days, and by the two inches of rain we finally got. We're still suffering from last summer's drought, so this rain was very welcome.

I didn't put my rain gauge back up after winter until we'd gotten a bit of
rain already, so I believe we did actually get a full two inches.

The rain has helped green up our grass, after what seemed like forever. There's something truly restful about a lush, green lawn after winter's grays and browns.

We replaced this lawn with new sod several years ago, so it always
turns green faster than our large lawns outside the fence. Almost time
to start mowing again.

Rite of Spring: potting up annuals. These cool-season stocks are so
beautiful and fragrant. They'll bloom most of the time until frost if
I cut them back periodically and move them into part shade during
the hottest months.

These yellow pansies are just above the daffodils on the east side of
the house, outside my kitchen windows. They're just babies still, but
they'll fill in soon and flower until November.

I love spring! I'm so happy that it's finally arrived. Thanks for reading!