A Little Sunshine Goes a Long Way

Finally some sun!

14 Hours of Daylight!

Actually, we're at 14 hours and 4 minutes of daylight. I just wish we were getting a little more actual sun with it.

Deb's Flowers

Our neigh-

bor Deb has some flowers trying to grow in her front yard.

Rain

Cool, rainy and just all around unpleasant.

When Will the Leaves Pop?

Photo is of neighbor Deb's tree. We're gonna have to see some leaves soon. It's almost May for heaven's sake!

(Photo 4-24-11)

Happy Easter 2011

Wow! The sun is actually shining! How appro-

priate for Easter Sunday especially since it's been so gloomy and cool lately. We're supposed to get to the low 60's today.

Leaves Are Trying to Bud

Took this photo outside the Church of Gethsemane in downtown Minneapolis. The leaves are trying to bud. It was cloudy and cool today with a high of maybe 50 degrees.

La Nina Happens

I was reading in the paper today that harsh springs usually follow La Nina winters. Today was cold, damp, and rainy. I want sunlight and warmth. I guess La Nina happens.

100th Post - Snow Gone

Yesterday's snow melted fast. Above are dragon's blood and some kind of vinca vine trying to grow.

April Snow - More Photos from This Morning

(Top photo - Barberry bush taken at 8:32 a.m.)

(Bottom photo - 10th Avenue taken at 8:26 a.m.)

More April Snow

We'll see how much we actually get.

(Photo 8:03 a.m.)

Waiting for Snow

The talk yester-

day was all about snow but now they're saying we'll just get a dusting. We'll see.

More Snow On the Way?

We're supposed to get some more snow starting tomorrow into Wednesday morning. We're now at about 85 " for the season which makes this the fourth snowiest winter on record for Minneapolis.

Full Moon - Sunday April 17, 2011

The April full moon is also known as the Full Pink Moon. It will be full at 10:44 tonight.

The following is from the Old Farmer's Almanac:

"Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names."

"Full Pink Moon - April: This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month's celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn."

Tiger Lilies & 100th Post

The tiger lilies are trying!

The Snow That Started Yesterday

The snow that started yesterday left us what is seen at left. According to this morning's paper we had a 13.6" of snow on April 15, 1983 and got almost 10" on April 30 1984.

Hi: 40

Lo: 32

Sunrise 6:28 a.m.

Sunset 7:59 p.m.

Total Hours Daylight: 13 hrs., 32 min.

April Snow!

Took Sophie for a walk tonight and found it was... SNOWING!

The Strawberry Pot

I usually fill this with impatiens. Didn't snow yesterday but supposed to snow today. Blech...

The Blue Planter

There's talk of snow tomorrow...

The Green Planter

Again, I can hardly wait to plant flowers but am waiting until May 15.

Some Flowers Would Brighten This Up

Flowers would be nice but I'm not planting any-

thing until May 15th... just to be on the safe side.

Open Windows

Yesterday Dale opened up all the first floor windows as it was warmer outside than inside! The view at left is from the kitchen out to the back yard. Sadly, the temp plummeted in the afternoon so that it felt like late fall.

(Photo 4-10-11)

Yard Work

Got outside today for the first session of yardwork for the season and got some raking done. It's warm enough outside that I actually had to come in and put on some shorts! Dale opened up all the first floor windows because it's actually warmer outside than inside. THAT hasn't happened in a while.

The top photo shows one of our backyard gardens. If you look closely you can see a tiny patch of snow just right of the center of the picture. The bottom photo shows a bowl of pansies that Dale and I picked up at Kowalski's today.

Both pictures taken today.

Signs of Spring

Photo on left shows the beginnings of primrose. Photo on right shows an accompanying dandelion. Both photos taken 4-9-11.

Another Patch

Patches of Snow

Not much snow left except for a few patches here and there.

Snow "mound"

Snowmound's not lookin' so mighty anymore. It's taking a lot longer to go away than I ever expected.

Growing Things

It's exciting to see things pushing their way up from the ground. These will eventually be tiger lilies.

Lots of Work Ahead

There's a lot of work to be done to get the yard cleaned up. Also, I heard on the radio that today was the warmest day in 5 months. I like that!

13 Hours and 1 Minute Daylight!

Top photo taken as the is sun coming up at 7:27 a.m. View is looking east on 42nd Street near 12th Avenue.

Bottom photo is the pine tree in our back yard at 5:03 p.m.

Mosquito Sighting

Argh! I saw my first mosquito of the year and it was in the HOUSE! I'm at that point where I'm ready for warmer weather but not quite ready for some of the stuff that goes with it...

Now THAT'S What I'm Talkin' 'Bout!

Smallest I've seen this snow-

mound in a while. Quite a change from the last time I photo-

graphed it about a week ago.

(Photo 4-5-11)

A Better Afternoon

The afternoon brought us a little sunshine today. The photo shows quite a change from the last time I posted this view. See the April 2nd posting for a photo taken April 1.

(Photo 4-4-11)

More Yucky Melt

Damp, raw and lightly raining as I walked Sophie this morning with the rain briefly switching to snow a couple times. Well, at least it was a nice weekend. The TCF bank clock in Highland Park read 61 degrees when I drove by yesterday.

(Photo 4-4-11)

Rediscovered Lawn Ornament

I bought this lawn ornament last summer and it just recently re-emerged from the melting snow. I had actually forgotten all about it. Consolation prize for the yucky melt, maybe...

Cowering Snow

To me, the snow looks as if it's cowering away from the house. Dale arrived in Grand Junction today to visit his mom and dad. He called and told me it's 80 degrees there. Life just ain't fair!

(Photo taken

4-1-11 at 6:18 p.m.)

No Foolin' - Goodbye to Winter

Even though there's still snow on the ground I'm sayin' goodbye to winter. It's April now and enough is enough. See ya later...