Greetings and salutations, sports fans. Elsa and Norman here to welcome you to the first post of March. After surviving the longest month in winter history {ahem…oh sister, may I remind you that February is actually the shortest month of the year}…Yo brother, please stop throwing shade on my post!
Norman: Sorry to have interrupted you, I just wanted to make sure you (a) understood that you made a misstatement and (b) I didn’t want our readers to think you were unsophisticated as to not know that February is the short month. By the way, you neglected to mention we’re joining those cuties over at Adventures of the LLB Gang for their weekly blog hop.
Elsa: Big deal…it was just a euphemism, fur ball. Sheesh, you can’t lighten up even a little, can you? And yes, we’re joining Rosy and Sunny. Are you happy now?
Norman: Of course I’m happy. You know how much I love those little pups. That said, I just want our posts to be factually correct so we can keep our integrity intact.
Elsa: {shaking her head and mischievously wagging her tail} W-h-a-t-e-v-e-r. As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, we managed to slam close the door on February and now are more than ready to welcome March. You know in two weeks, we’ll be celebrating a ‘green’ holiday, right, Mr. Precision?
Norman: Of course I do. Being a dog whose breed originated from the British Isles, I’m keenly aware of the “National Holiday of Ireland which is celebrated throughout the UK, Canada, US, Argentina, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand, particularly among the Irish diaspora, as well as the territory of Montserrat.”
Elsa: Oh lord, you’ve been on Wikipedia again, haven’t you? Anywho, we began to notice subtle signs of greening yesterday that I thought we might share. You ready, dude?
Norman: Right-o, lass. Mum has been looking for signs that Spring is headed our way and said she’s hopeful that things are beginning to shift now. Just look at this garden art she found on her walk. It’s not the greatest composition (please don’t tell her I said that) but she stopped and went back to snap this pic because she saw…gasp…actual green grass, not the usual straw colored stuff we typically see in Winter around here.
Elsa: Hey you said it, not me. Yeah…but you’re so right, it IS a really crummy pic but you gotta love the green grass which I plan to start munching on the next time we walk by. I love grass-those tender, fresh new shoots {smacking her lips}, it’s the best fiber around.
Norman: Umm,. hard pass on the grass, sister. After this week’s health scare, I’ve been strictly forbidden to eat ANYTHING other than what’s in my bowl.
Elsa: Yeah, I was going to ask you how you’re feeling now? You sure scared Mom-she was panic-stricken.
Norman: I know she was but am so grateful she acted quickly getting me to the vet. Getting poked and prodded is not my idea of a jolly time. The vet said my tests showed signs that I had a small case of pancreatitis but I’m feeling better now. Boy, let me just say, avoid pancreatitis if at all possible. I was one sick puppy for a few days and even had to cancel my hospital visits. Which really was unfortunate since I got all spiffed up and groomed to visit my friends at Lutheran. Oh, and before I forget, thank you for staying close and repeatedly nose-nudging me while I was recuperating. It was more than a bit disconcerting but think you were just trying to make sure I was ok so I appreciate your gentle care.
Elsa: {blushing} Well, I know I don’t show it very often but I do care about you and am glad you’re doing better. I’m not ready to be an only child.
Norman: Thank you, lovey. Very sporting of you…
Elsa: {interrupting} Yeah, yeah, don’t go all sentimental on me. Let’s get back to seeing other signs of green nature, ok?
Norman: Ok, let’s not dwell on the past. Mum found some little tulips along her walk. She told me these are very pretty when they’re in bloom and I, for one, am looking forward to seeing them in bloom. But of course, I won’t do anything more than sniff them-bulbs are toxic to us canines.
Elsa: Count me out on eating bulbs. I have high standards as to what I eat {snorfing heard in the background from Norman}. I noticed some green around the Ranch as well. Achillea x ‘Moonshine’ (Yarrow) is beginning to show signs of waking up. It looked pretty grim with brownish dried-out sticks and leaves until Mom cleaned it up a tad yesterday. It still has a l-o-n-g way to go, but that spot of green is a good sign.
Norman: She also noticed her hyacinth bulbs survived despite being repeatedly buried with snow. And the bearded iris and even some naturalized snapdragons are showing signs of waking up.
Elsa: All good signs, I’d say. But the pièce de résistance this week had to be these magnolia blossoms from a nearby neighbor’s garden. Mom says they’ll likely be hit with frost before they fully emerge but with that trademark blue sky, it was a lovely sight to behold. I’m not sure which was more welcome, those blooms or the clear blue sky. Mom isn’t a fan of gloomy grey skies.
Norman: Mum and I have that in common. Enjoying a nice sunny clear day is good for the soul, isn’t it?
Elsa: Right you are, dog-breath. So do you think we’ll get to enjoy some new adventures this weekend when the temps should be in the upper 50’sF? It’d be great if Mom took a different route on the walk so we can sniff new and different smells. The ground is nice and damp from the snow melting this week so it should be pretty doggone awesome for our olfactory systems.
Norman: Oooh, I can’t wait. I need to check out the neighborhood bulletin board. So what plans do you have for the first weekend of March? Anything exciting planned? Whatever you do, we hope signs of Spring are showing up around your neighborhood. This is the time of year where nature renews itself so be sure to get out there and find it. Have a bonny good weekend.
Live, love, bark! 🐾