A Gift of Rain and a Touch of Spring

Yesterday, we had almost two inches of rain. It made for a dreary Sunday, but lightened hearts in my drought-stricken area. Take a look at this photo of the Falls Lake reservoir, which provides drinking water for Raleigh and surrounding towns. Yikes! Where we used to water ski now looks like a moonscape. Two inches will not end the drought, but we are grateful for any drops that come our way.

Saturday, I was cutting different curvy border edges from freezer paper to audition for my Woodland Spring quilt when I was stricken by a stomach bug. Yuck. No more quilting for the weekend. I did get my Christmas decorations down and packed, which will free up my New Year's Day for lounging in jammies and watching football on TV.

Today I felt better, walked the dog, and enjoyed the gorgeous blue sky and mild temps. A quick survey of the yard found daffodils emerging,

pansies looking fairly perky...

is this December? My little creek out back is gurgling happily over the its cascade, and had overflowed its banks yesterday. It's been a dry bed since July, so that was a treat! I filled up the bird feeders, pinched back the pansies, and pitched the poinsettias. My cousin Lisa was here from Alaska right before Christmas, taking a break from their darkest and coldest days of winter. It was in the upper fifties here, but twenty below zero up there. She stared in amazement at my pots of flowers still in bloom. Today I noticed blooms on the blue salvia

and on a rosemary shrub...

and some of the verbena outdoors. There are buds on the camellias

and on the red maple tree.

And, a check of the bluebird boxes revealed a bluebird nest in one, and a sparrow nest in the other. No eggs---I hope they are not so confused by the unseasonable weather that they try to raise a brood in January. It is supposed to turn colder this week.