thoughts about spring

It is dreary outside. It keeps raining in fits and starts.
Even though I live in California, the weather doesn't seem to recognize this.
It seems to be mistaking us for Oregon.
But one thing that I love about the rain is all the things that are coming
to life in the backyard.
The hydrangeas, the climbing rose and the lavender are all reaching up as high
as they can to get a good drink of that rain.
And the butterfly bush that I bought for $5.99 2 summers ago is amazingly hearty, growing up and out of the shade towards what little sun we have been getting.
I have designated Jack the official handler of the rose clipper.
As he is 9 now, I feel somewhat confident that he can wield this small tool of death.
I warned him, "Don't get your fingers in there...." and followed it up with a look like "these clippers mean business."
We have one large rose bush that my mom planted in our yard 4 years ago.
Every year its yellow roses with coral edging grow fatter and more fragrant.
Jack is very manly as he wields the clippers and fills the small vase I give him.
I have also assigned him the task of flower-shaker-outer since our rose bush seems
to harbor a great amount of spiders and pincher bugs.
Each rose has to have a good shaking since I prefer the bugs stay outside when the flowers come in.
The last two summers I have been working on a small stone patio near the back fence that I had fit together out of pavers from home depot, filling in the chinks with dirt.
It was almost complete.
It wasn't perfect but I liked thinking I made it - levelling the ground and fitting the stones together. At least I did until 3 Sundays ago.
After a particularly hearty rain, I went out back and found every stone turned over, piled up haphazardly and three boys happily searching for worms.
They found a lot. Worms seem to like my patio, too.
So even though they don't know it, me and the boys will be re-doing the patio soon.
It should be great fun. Because it is spring and spring is all about doing new things. And being refreshed and hoping for more sunny days than rainy days.
And it also about getting your hands in the dirt and expecting that something good springs up from the soil after you mess around with it.
I'll get the boys ramped up about it. They are always up for getting dirty.
That and there is always a promise of finding new worms when we move the rocks again.
Spring has sprung, tsgs, and I'm glad.
It means summer is right around the corner.