The magnolia is just blooming, the forcynthia is out fully, the daffodils on the hill are in full parade mode. The flowering quince is budding. SPRING is finally here! All is well at Thicut.
Well, almost. 'fault: second floor battery #12 is low' Isn't that the one that I keep replacing? It's upstairs. Next time I go, I'll replace the battery and look at the alarm/smoke detector list to see if that was replaced recently.
Happy Spring!

April 13:
Bob, Mom, and I met an insurance inspector for ARM at the house. He came, took pictures inside and out and was very pleasant and quick. Then,

• Bob cleaned up the pine tree by the driveway, 
• cut down some dead spruces behind the field/knoll. 
• I cleaned up the fallen branches in the yard. 

It was a beautiful day, if a bit chillier than last week. But more daffodils were out and the yard is greener. The birds were singing madly, too.

It's sunny and 70 degrees!
Mom and I enjoyed the gentle breeze and the sun at Thicut today.

• The grass seems greener and the snow pile with the fallen pine branches is almost gone. Can you believe we still have some of these piles?!?
• Inside was colder than outside! I opened the dining room doors to let in the fresh air.
• Watered plants, checked oil (still 1/2)
• I'm a little nervous when I go down the basement stairs now, but haven't seen any movement or activity so the snake (or whatever?) is keeping its distance thankfully! Still NO evidence of mice anywhere.
• The forsythia is still tightly closed, but I can see a tiny yellow here and there. The magnolia is also tightly closed: what buds are left. The decimated holly next to the door is still green, and maybe a glimpse of new tiny buds are there if I look hard enough.
• There are open daffodils on the hill behind the forsythia, not exactly a sea of yellow, but a start.
• I noticed that the dogwood tree next to the pond has part of its top broken and dangling down; another casualty of our heavy snows.
• The brook is tumbling noisily. There is a part of a large tree across the brook tangled against the big rock just downstream from the bridge. It goes nearly all the way across the brook and so far is not damming the water, but debris is getting caught in it.

As Mom and I drove away, she said, "I wonder what will become of all this." Even though we are all busy with our current lives, I think it is time to give this some serious thought.
Enjoy the spring.