What a glorious day to wake up to! On my back deck it was actually fifty-something degrees in the shade when I got up and the temperature escalated from there! I took down all my bird feeders, scraped out the putrid aged seeds that had gotten clumped on the bottom from the endless storms we recently endured, scrubbed them and placed them in the sun to dry. It felt amazing to clean-out the bird bath and fill it with water knowing that this time it wouldn't freeze.
There
is much to do in the yard...it's overwhelming...we should have done a lot more trimming and cleaning-up last Fall. But when the cold weather hits and my flowers begin to wither, I seem to lose my desire to garden -it just seems so sad.
However, today as I puttered around the yard with Jim, my honey, I felt joy and the promise of Spring at last. Even Shadow, our beloved kitty, pranced about with glee.
Crocuses,
tulips, and daffodils are sprouting up here
and there, breaking through
the rough sandy soil of Martha's Vineyard.
To
my delight, I spotted a sweet cluster of purple primrose peering through the
last year's spent leaves and
pine needles. My sister gave me a little pot of the posy several Easters ago and I thought I had killed it, but I planted what was left of the dried up plant in
the rock garden and forgot about it. It has now surprised me a couple of times as it just appears unexpectedly as a harbinger of Spring. I think it's supposed to be a biennial, but I swear it's been popping up year after year.
It's been a really long time since I woke up to 50+ degree temperature. It sure has been a very long, drawn-out winter here in New England, and this morning's sunshine was very welcome indeed. For the benefit of anyone who lives in warmer climates that may stumble upon this blog, let me give you a taste of what my house looks like after a February snow storm:
Don't get me wrong, the snow is very pretty and there's a novelty to the first few snowfalls of the season, but where I live, on this 30-mile long island of Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Cape Cod, the snow doesn't stick around for long, as it does in Maine. Temperatures hover just around the freezing point for what seems like ages. After the blanket of snow melts, we are left with dead leaves against gray weathered shingles & the distant memory of warmer days.
But today, it finally feels like winter is really over. I did something that I haven't done in a very long time...I made SUN TEA! I first heard of sun tea in a restaurant in Aquinnah, which is the furthest town on the west side of the island. There they sell iced tea that is brewed in large jars on their sunny deck. It's not only delicious, but it doesn't cloud up in the way that traditionally brewed tea does when it is refrigerated. You can see my first sun tea of the season here on the left, next to our Shadow, who along with his masters, is happy to be squinting in the sun at last.
SUN TEA: Place 5-6 bags of your favorite tea in a large half gallon jar, with the lid on loosely, and place in the hot sun for approximately 4-6 hours. Remove tea bags, tighten the lid and make into sweet tea, or just serve over ice as is. Tea may be refrigerated for several days. ENJOY!
