Did I mention that the weather in Iowa is insane?

Ok, we had frost a few days ago. Now today it's hot - in the 80's! The weather in Iowa gets more insane every year. I'm not convinced that we all are the sole reason for global warming. Honestly, I think it's part of a natural cycle of earth. The earth is just trying to clean house and start over by freezing and frying us out of here.

And in case we all are the cause of global warming...I apologize for contributing...since I am taking a short trip tomorrow...on a loud, diesel-guzzling, pollution-spewing airplane. ...and don't even get me started on air travel...I absolutely, completely detest flying on airplanes. I'll save the rest of my airplane rants for another post, since I have to get up at 3:00 am to be at the airport by 5:00 am, and I need to get to bed early so I can stay up all night worrying about the morning flight. Geesh...

Did I mention that Iowa has miserable weather?

Oh, yea...I did. Sunday morning we had frost; some cities in Iowa had record frost. We turned our furnace off a month ago to save energy...because we are going to save the planet from global warming by freezing my ass off...so the house was 63 freakin' degrees inside when we woke up Sunday morning! And I like a toasty warm bedroom, unlike most people who think a cold bedroom is just swell.

I have a little bird's nest spruce shrub in front of my house. Every year it puts out bright green new growth...after the rabbits have gnawed off, during the winter, all the new growth that the poor spruce grew the previous year. It's a never-ending cycle. Whether this is a symbiotic relationship of the ecosystem, or a testament to the miraculous ability of nature to renew itself, or a sign that I need a rabbit trap or a pellet gun...I don't know. But the new growth sure is pretty.

Nature giveth, and nature taketh away...

A few weeks ago, I discovered a robin's nest hidden deep within the crabapple tree just outside our stairway window.



Then four baby robins hatched. It wasn't easy taking pictures; I had to crawl inside the branches of the crabapple and that really upset the robin parents.




The baby robins grew. We had the best view of the babies in their nest by standing inside on our stairway.



The baby robins were getting big and we were hoping to see them take their first flight out of the nest. The past 24 hours, we've had rainstorms and high winds. (Remember how I don't like all the rain in Iowa?) This afternoon while I was at work, a gust of wind tipped the robin nest sideways. The baby robins are gone. I've looked around the yard but can't locate them. I'm hoping they survived and are safe in the shrubbery around the house. Sigh.....

Way to go

-Not! I'm being way bad at keeping up with this blog. But I've been way busy working late the past couple weeks, and coming home too fried to blog....ummm.....I think that's one of the things that blogs are for...whining, wailing, and ranting.

And I could at least whine-blog about the weather...I am from Iowa...and discussing the weather is big conversation around here. Plenty to discuss because it usually sucks weather-wise. It's been raining all day...we are now under a tornado watch...and today is my birthday!!! #@*# It's bad enough that every year I get farther from 40 and closer to sixty...and that's all the hints you are getting about my age. As a friend of mine said "You only get so many sunsets in your life." I think he meant slow down, stop running around, and enjoy the sunset. I do love a good sunset, but dammit, the sun has to shine first!

Hooray it's May

It's here, it's here, my favorite time of year! I so love May...all the delicate spring blossoms with their clear, intense colors...the scilla, the daffodils, the muscari, the tulips, the red bud trees, and the rows of full-blown crabapple trees with colors to take your breath away. And soon there will be lilacs and peonies!!!

I meant to publish a paean to Spring yesterday, on May Day. But I spent the week working late to rectify Microsuck issues, and came home too late and tired and cranky from not even having enough time for a full lunch break. Not the way to start my favorite month.

So today, I worked out my stress in the garden. I cut down a 12 foot crabapple tree that died last fall. (I know...a crabapple tree...one of my favorites) I'm suspecting it died because it was planted in a spot where a lot of water laden with lawn chemicals flows when it rains hard. I have an issue with lawn chemicals and the Meester and I are on opposite sides of the issue. But more on that later...

Anyhoo, I did it all by myself!



With these:



And then I pulled a ton of weeds...and now I feel better...except that I can't move because I haven't used every single muscle in my body since last fall.....