We have been back in Vermont for two weeks tomorrow. When we got here, about 1/3 of our yard was still snow covered. It melted off last week when the temps went into the 70's. The storms that crossed the south and midwest last week have been here this week, and with the rain and northerly fronts, it is back down into the low 40s during the day. Below freezing is expected tonight, although only for a couple of hours. Snow is also a possiblity but won't stick. We gave the dogs their summer cut before leaving BR, and now they are so cold they don't want to stay outside at all.
So where is spring, anyway? Well, there are a few signs, some natural and some man-made. The duck pond down the hill from our house has had a small contingent of Canada geese for the past several days, and others can be seen flying over. Grass is greening up quickly now that the snow is gone, and the neighbor's crocuses are in full bloom. Man-made signs include changing the implements on the tractor from snow throwing to grass cutting, the grill and the hoses are out of storage.
Weather permitting, this weekend I'll finish the box garden I started before the rain came earlier this week. It is a 9' x 14' box, and it will be the largest garden I've ever had- approximately twice the size of the one I had in Baton Rouge. I am anxious to get it completed, even though it is risky to plant seed crops before Memorial Day. That gives me about three weeks to decide what to plant and how much of each. We also will have several new window boxes this year for flowers, leaving the larger deck planters for tomatoes of some sort.
The spring floods here are significant, although they have not made the national news like those in the South and Midwest (or those coming to Louisiana). We are on a hill several hundred feet above the nearest rivers, so are not in danger. The melt off is still racing down the ditches and little brooks, into the many low areas in the valley, but we are actually pretty dry here on the hill top.
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