April Showers

The wind arranged my deck furniture a few days ago. And four
of the chairs are tied to the table legs to keep them from
"walking."

This year Spring has been rather unusual. We had a nice wet February, but March, which often is the month of the most snow and the biggest blizzards, was almost dry and warmer than normal. With this came wind, sucking up all that nice February moisture. As wind storm followed wind storm, it began to look like we'd better learn to breathe dirt because there was so much dust in the air.

The newspaper reported that the trees were about four weeks ahead of normal in putting out leaves and flowers. I've lived in this region for a long time, and don't remember ever seeing the crab apples blooming this early!

While it is great to see the green leaves appearing and to revel in the sight of blossoms on the flowering trees, there is a downside. Spring is the time when we actually get green across the prairie. This usually happens in May and June, as the snow melts and we get a little monsoon effect in some rainy days. How long the green lasts depends on how much snow and rain we get. This year, while all the signs of spring are very early, the countryside has stayed brown. The winds of a dry, warm March and early April have left the prairie terribly dry.

Greening trees and gray, dripping skies.

But--cheers here--yesterday and today it has been raining! It is just a slow drizzle, but that is what we need. It is soaking in, not running off. So far, my rain gauge only shows about 1/10th of an inch. This may be a little less than has actually fallen.

I love sunshine and blue skies. I always feel better when it is sunny. But today I am thrilled to have gray skies and drizzle. (Ooops! The drizzle is now turning to big, wet snowflakes. Also not unusual for April.)