The Repatriated Gal: First Spring in Four Years

This is our first Spring in four years.

The official first day of Spring for 2014 was Saturday, March 22!

There are no seasons in the equatorial country of Singapore!

It does, sort of, turn from REALLY HOT & HUMID to tolerable hot & humid depending on the monsoon. This does NOT compare to the actual Spring season.

We did visit Spring in New Zealand and again in China on holiday.

THIS, however, is NOT the same as experiencing Spring after enduring Winter.

I grew up in south Florida. You don't really experience Spring there either. They have Summer and the Cooler season. Native Floridians think 69 degrees is freezing! They actually break out their heavy coats!

Singapore has never recorded a temperature below 70 degrees Fahrenheit!

On Pioneer Woman's blog the other day she was running a contest based off of one's response to "What they love about Spring".

I kept nodding my head at several of the loves.

For now, my computer sits on a counter in my breakfast room. I look out a huge window at a hickory tree. Throughout the winter, I hung a suet feeder in the hopes of birds visiting. They came - although it was usually a pair of "Flickers" (a type of woodpecker) - they usually ate the bugs that were feeding on the suet. At the beginning of March, I hung two seed feeders in the hopes of more birds. I was so excited to get so many that they have eaten through a whole bag of seed!
I now have to keep a bird book so I can identify all the different birds. It gives me a huge thrill.

I have waxwings, tree warblers, chickadees, blue birds, cardinals , titmouses, and lots of wren and finch like birds. They make me smile!

The hickory tree now has buds on it!

Over Spring Break, my daughter and I drove over to Louisiana to meet my husband (Engineer Extraordinaire) and son(TechSavvySon- TSS), at my in-laws house. On the way over - NOTHING had turned green yet. I pointed out the redbud trees to my daughter. I explained they are one of the first signs of Spring.
She rolled her eyes! (Yes - she's part of this clan)
Then, she asked why they are called redbuds, if they are pink. I smiled because I remember having this same question when I was her age.
I really don't know why they are called redbuds . . .

So we drive some more. . .

We come across some beautiful pear trees that are in full bloom. They look like big white puffy clouds on a stalk.
"Aren't they beautiful?", I ask my daughter.
"What, the blue bloomers?" she replies.
I roll my eyes!!!
She says, "If you can call the pink trees, red, then I can call the white trees, blue!" - HA!

She has such a delightful sense of humour!

She earned the name WIttyGirl for this blog site until she comes up with a better name.

So this was the joke the rest of the way to my in-laws.

Five days later - we head back to Texas and "lo, and behold" (I like this term) - It is starting to turn green in some of the trees. I love that Spring green colour!

So My favourite things of Spring are:

A variety of birds at the feeder

Red bud trees and tulip magnolias in bloom

Crisp, fresh mornings that turn into sunny skies!

Geraniums! Love the geraniums.