Waiting…

We’ve experienced a loooong string of cold, rainy days lately. In the last two weeks we’ve had almost 7 inches of rain. It won’t hold (I hope), but as of mid-April this is now the wettest year on record for southern Wisconsin. Thankfully the sun came out over the weekend or I would be climbing the walls by now.

At least some of my African violets bloomed this week and brightened up the place, because I’m running out of patience with this painstakingly slow process of spring.

My favorite greenhouse opened over the weekend, but I wonder how many customers they had. Yes, it was sunny, but the temperatures barely made it out of the lower 40s. I haven’t even been able to walk around the yard yet this “spring” to discover if I need any replacement plants. My daylilies are starting to pop out, but many of my other perennials are still below ground.

The wacky weather even has the birds changing their plans. We’ve had rain here, but in northern Wisconsin all that precipitation arrived in the form of several snowstorms in a row. Birds that would normally head in that direction this time of year or migrate through here are sticking around this area until conditions improve.

I’ve spotted quite a few warbler species in my yard over the years, but none of them have ever eaten seed at one my feeders. They like to hang out in the oak trees and eat the insects that appear when the oaks “bloom” before they leaf out. Because the insects are still dressed in their parkas and boots, this Pine Warbler decided to enjoy some bird seed and few bites of suet: