My yard is waking up after a long, wet, hibernation

The air is warm and smells like tree blossoms, sticky sweet and buzzing with bees. After a winter with so much rain there was a creek running down my street for three weeks, all this sunshine feels comforting. Even I, who hate hot weather more than just about anything (except tomatoes, and spiders) am soaking up the warmth and driving out the moldy feeling in my bones.

It makes me want to start planting.

But this is what my back yard looks like...

...a massive tangle of knee high weeds, mud, "dog-bombs," and onion grass attempting to take over absolutely every inch of dirt.

Suddenly I am not so eager to go outside and start a garden.

But as I look at this mess called my yard, I see almost undetected signs of Spring.

The Peppermint patch is coming back to life.

The tulips are starting to bloom.

Tiny buds are germinating on the grape vines...

...like this.

The berry patch is valiantly blossoming despite the onslaught of the encroaching onion grass (whoever planted onion grass in the back yard needs a smacking! Every year I have to dig it out, and every year it comes back stronger than ever).

I discovered this gift from the birds blooming. Most of the flowers in my yard are from bird droppings. They must be saying thank you for the bird seed and fresh water we provide all winter.

All the plants in my yard are waking up, stretching their growing muscles and shouting like a New York cabbie hunting for a fare, "Hey! You on the deck! A little attention over here!"

Time to roll up my sleeves, find my gloves, and get to work.