I blogged earlier this month about the fact that we were going to have an unusual Easter this year. Normally we have between 25 and 35 family members here for dinner during the afternoon. This year, for a number of reasons, my family has scattered to the four corners and as of today there will be just three of us here: Dear Husband, Elegant Mother and myself.

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We all have signs we watch for to herald the return of Spring. My mother watches for the first robins, and she comments on the weeping willows turning gold.I watch for the magnolia buds to swell, and for the forsythia to burst into bloom. Everyone watches for the crocus, and then daffodils and tulips to burst through the ground.
Unfortunately, we have another sign of spring, now. I just saw the first of the road workers for the proposed widening of our road. It’s going to be a tough summer.

We have squirrels who visit the ground below our bird feeders. Over the years we have been able to count on six or eight gray squirrels and four to six fox squirrels as our companions. We know the players have changed over the years; their life spans are usually short, but they must be prolific enough to maintain the colony.
The gray squirrels are sleek and slightly smaller than the fox squirrels, and definitely meaner. The fox squirrels are larger overall, have beautiful fur that goes from a cream to a copper color, with touches of black on the tips of the tail fur, and they seem just a bit pudgy in comparison to the grays. They also play nicer with others. Unfortunately, they are also prone to mange.

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