Burrr!

We continue to flirt (or more than flirt) with freezing temperatures at night.  For example, it was about 34 degrees this morning at 6:00.  My daffodils are starting to bloom nicely, but their chins are tucked up against their chests and I'm surprised they aren't wearing little earmuffs!  I also have some crocuses coming up, but they look rather frail compared to the ones I had in Detroit.  Maybe these bulbs, bought at Home Depot, are a lackluster variety... or maybe my soil needs some beefing up.

Crocus in bloom behind the house.

I continue burning the wood stove in the mornings.  That heat, plus afternoon solar gain on clear days, keeps the house toasty until bedtime.  Meanwhile, I look at my big wood pile and contemple all the work I have to do this summer.  Perhaps I'll put visitors to work splitting firewood!

The wood pile awaits!

And lest I gripe too much about this spring's weather, I am minded that last year we had one of our biggest snows — with accumulation up to a foot or more west of Presque Isle — on the night of April 20th-21st.  It all melted away in a couple days, but what a storm!

The house on April 21, 2011.

Happy Easter Week! •••