Appalachian Springtime

It is an absolutely glorious day on the mountain.

We got up early and drove north into coal country to take care of some business. On the way back we stopped at a Walmart Super Store. It’s the only place in the county that carries “She Who Shall Not Be Named’s” favorite brand of chai. But there was only a gaping hole on the shelf where the tea would usually be. Bummer!

Most people would be stymied, but not “She.” She tracked down an “associate” who didn’t understand what she was talking about [chai is not a big item up here in the boonies]. Then she found a manager, walked her back to the shelf, and gave her the item code. Another associate was deployed to search the storeroom. Success! She found a whole case of the stuff and brought it out. Happiness! “She” can now sip chai until she sloshes.

When we got home I noticed a large bird skimming low over the fields in front of our place. My first thought was that the red tails were back, but it turned out to be a turkey vulture flying unusually low. I was glad to see it. TVs may be ugly as sin up close, but they are beautiful flyers and the fact that this one was hunting so close to the ground meant that the small critters it eats were up and about – another harbinger of spring.

Speaking of harbingers of spring…, the daffodils bloomed. Last week they were in full bloom down at the harbor, but all we had on the mountain was leaves. Today along the west side of the house they finally came out (the east side is still just leaves). And the forsythia is showing the first hints of yellow. It’s coming…, it’s coming….

I was so encouraged I moved out to the front room. During the winter we don’t bother to heat the front room [really a sun porch] and just avoid it, but when the temperature rises to about sixty degrees, as it did today, it becomes an ideal place to work. So, while I cleared away some of the brush I cut last month “She” cleaned the front room and moved a lot of her houseplants out there. The place now resembles a jungle. We then moved a table out front, opened the side windows to create a cross breeze and I set up in the midst of all the greenery. Perfect! No internet access from here, though, so bloggery will be on the back burner for a while.

Now to get some work done….