SPRING HAS SPRUNG .....

 I cannot believe my luck, even though mostly it's mediocre ... just look at this beauty!!  I almost missed it.  With warmer temperatures for the next few days, my lawn could use a drink of water.  One by one I turned the valves on, then ran to see what the damage was.  

In checking the drip irrigation I spotted this one quite by accident.  You just cannot imagine how gorgeous it is in person.  My Sacramento friend Cyndae brought down a bunch of cuttings from her yard.  Well not exactly HER yard ... I think they came from the center divide in downtown Sacramento.  I was sure they would all die.  

It took a year for them to grow into a 4 foot square section of ground cover.  And then this happened.  Neither of us had any idea this would appear.  Even better, there are about a dozen more buds ready to bloom.  YAHOO!!!  Spring has sprung!

The sprinkler news wasn't good.  The river Broken Sprinkler flowed down the side yard like the Mississippi.  It appears there is a break in one of the main lines.  I doubt I can fix it.  Further analysis resulted in three more broken below the dirt level.  This is going to require major surgery.  Dr. Nancy is on vacation, so hopefully I can find someone to do this for me.  

While wandering around looking for rocks to mark the bad sprinklers, I heard the familiar screeching in the sky.  These guys were WAY up there!  The hawks circle around while the Moms and Dads protecting their nearby nests, dive bomb them.  

Not the best of pictures, but they got smacked on the head several times before finally flying off.  Another sign of spring.  I can now hear the babies in the nests screaming for food.

Speaking of the birds, I have so many finch in my back yard hanging out in the rose bushes that I thought I might give them a little lunch.  I ordered this finch feeder online, mostly because I see everyone else has something similar.  Filling those socks with seed wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done, but here it is hanging on the tree.  It looks like some kind of alien.

Thirty minutes later, I discovered the local wasp population thinks it's just dandy.  I'm guessing it was the color?  There were four more underneath.  These guys can sting like nobody's business, so I grabbed my flyswatter and went to town.  Hopefully they discovered the landlord was not hospitable and won't come back.  I won't hold my breath.  Sadly, not a single finch has set foot on this feeder.  NOT ONE!!

While waiting for the sprinklers to finish their run, Mr. Cooper decided it was play time.  This kid ... he rolls the ball (what's left of it) under the chair, then barks until I throw it.  I'm amazed this video turned out since I was sitting IN the chair, bending over upside down to take it.

Sadly, our aim isn't so good any more, nor is his eyesight at 14 years of age.  It's okay though as he loves playing this game over and over and over.

My plan to lay out in the now WARM California sun didn't last long.  I had a lunch appointment with an Elks friend for some Mexican food.  She's one of the best Bingo volunteers ever.  I've never in my life seen an enchilada as big as my computer.  It took some time to make it disappear, but boy was it good!  Sadly, no picture.  The best part, I was so full, there was no need for dinner.

About bingo ... I usually only tell you the not-so-good parts because they can be hilarious.  But truly, the 123 other players at Tuesday's games are just the best.  They laugh, tease each other and just have a good time.  They can make my day in a nanosecond ... which is why I keep going back.  They can make a bad day pretty special.

Tonight should be fun .... three more Lodge meetings (yup all in one night) where I will present the budget.  If nothing else, this Elks stuff is keeping me busy.

I see that fickle Miss Spring is already going to take another break this weekend.  They are predicting an inch of rain here on Saturday.  I wish she would make up her mind!!