Welcome, Spring!

It  is such a  beautiful Sunday morning here in Georgia! I think the worst of the pollen is over (please, let it be over!) so now it's time to get back outside. I spent most of yesterday in the yard cleaning and pruning. My perennials are all showing signs of making their yearly appearance - Ryan's daisies, Easter lilies, black-eyed Susans, butterfly bush, daylilies, and lantana. I picked up my Kimberley Queen ferns this week along with two Painted Lady hibiscus and a magenta bougainvillea from the big plant tent that magically appears on Washington Road a few weeks before Masters week.

The blooms on the bougainvillea start out a deep orange and as they fully open become a deep pink. I haven't tried this plant in a long time so I hope it likes the full sun location I am giving it.

The azaleas are in full bloom this week and are spectacular. These are in my backyard and are so beautiful right now. I still have some work to do on the patio with many containers still to be filled with flowers. But at least the pots are emptied and just ready for me to make a trip to the nursery.

My progress on the M pear was a little slow this week but all of the stripes have been finished. Now I can move on to beading the M. I think I'll have M finished by the end of the week - just in time for the arrival of the last lesson in this Home Study project from Amy's.

Did I tell you that I am taking Robin King's Sunflower and Berries class at In Stitches in late April in Atlanta? Robin will be teaching us some wonderful techniques on a beautiful NeedleDeeva canvas that features lots of ribbons and beads and sequins. Robin is blogging about it on the Needlepoint Study Hall blog - check it out! I'm excited to get back to In Stitches and looking forward to meeting Robin!

In eagle nest news, there is still no egg in the Norfolk nest. I have not completely given up but the season is quickly passing by. It seems like the 5 year old female may still be a little young for eggs. Female eagles usually don't begin to lay eggs until they are at least five. She is still showing some juvenile feathers - a further indication that she might be too young for eggs this year. She and Dad keep trying to make some eggs but the nest remains empty. At the Richmond, VA nest, the two eaglets are cute little balls of grey fluff and you can see how they are quickly growing day by day. Mom has a hard time keeping one of them down in the nest bowl (the deeper part of the nest). At the Decorah nest, the first egg should begin to hatch any moment now. I am so glad I have the second monitor to watch as I work. Even if there is no action in these nests, I can hear the sounds of the birds in the nearby trees. Such peaceful sounds! A wonderful thing when you feel like you are chained to your desk!

I hope Spring has arrived by now in your neighborhood and that you can get out and enjoy all Mother Nature has to offer. I think I'm headed outside now. The beading on that M pear will just have to wait!