The Grill Awaits Us

The spring equinox will be upon us Tuesday. Yeah! And with spring comes the spring cleaning. But I’ve been cleaning the decks already. It has felt like spring lately so I took the opportunity to get rid of those dry leaves that were all over the decks. 

I also cleaned our outdoor furniture - a table with umbrella with matching chairs plus the zero gravity chairs. We’re all ready for a spring cookout . We would have been ready to cook out today if the rain hadn’t make it so wet. No worries, it will dry up before spring arrives.

Spring? It Already Feels Almost Like Summer!

Although spring is still five days away, it already feels like spring. The weather was gorgeous when the week started. Our temperatures were in the 70’s and though it has been raining in the evening for a couple of nights now, still, it didn’t feel cold at all. 

And because of that, the community garden that we and our neighbors have agreed on is now going to be worked on. We all agreed on planting not just vegetables but flowers as well. A part of our land is used for the garden and since it’s near our house, I wonder if the water to be used in watering will come from us too. We could all probably contribute for a goulds pump if necessary but I think that would be an additional expense. We’ll see what we’ll come up with this weekend.

Monarch Migration

Still at Blue Ridge Parkway, I took this photo at one of the overlooks. 

I am not familiar with this kind of butterfly, but it would be great to see them. I think they will abound in the spring or summer. It would be great if we could visit the park again this spring or summer. If not, I just hope I will be lucky enough to see this specie in our yard. I do wonder if that will happen though. Well, aren't butterflies just everywhere? We'll see about that!

As per Wikipedia:

The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 centimetres (3½–4 in).^[6] (The Viceroy butterfly has a similar size, color, and pattern, but can be distinguished by an extra black stripe across the hind wing.) Female Monarchs have darker veins on their wings, and the males have a spot called the "androconium" in the center of each hind wing^[7] from which pheromones are released. Males are also slightly larger.

The Monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer from Canada to Mexico and Baja California which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly.

Hurry Ms. Spring, I Need Rebirth!

‘Ol Man Winter is leaving so that means it is time to prepare myself for some closet cleaning and home cleaning as a whole. I have to change the spot of my clothes depending on when they are needed - the coats, cardigans and long-sleeved shirts at the back of the closet and the clothes perfect for spring will be at the front. 

I have to keep and set aside things in the other part of the house too like the throws in the living room chairs and the heated mattress pad on the bed. What else? Did I miss something? Well, I still have about a week to think of other things so no biggy. If you think you remember one, just let me know. Heehee.