My Favorite Time of Year

This is the time of year when I crouch down low to the ground every day, scouring the ground for signs of green shoots poking through. After a long, Wisconsin winter, I'm desperate for something green and fresh. My hard work each fall of planting hundreds of bulbs pays for itself in the spring when first a sea of crocuses appears in the lawn and beds (though shortly afterwards it's usually eaten by bunnies), then the dwarf irises (Iris reticulata 'Pixie' and 'Pauline'), then hyacinths and daffodils. The first hyacinths and daffodils just opened yesterday, the nicest day we've had this spring. I'm not counting the strangely warm days we had in February. And the blood root opened its first blossoms over the weekend as well. The birds are chirping, the lawn is getting green, and it's a joy to be alive.