This was a long winter. When the house is buried under snow, you forget how quiet winter is outside. In the winter months, I hear wind, snow removal, occasionally cars driving by and the routine movements of the neighbors rushing from their cars to get inside.

This was the first spring weekend. Oh, we still had snow in the yard until this afternoon. But, the first breath of warmth and sun drives everyone outdoors. We raked. We cleaned the flower beds. Trees were trimmed. You find out a ton about the neighbors by the trash that blows into your yard when you have to pick it up. Or the gifts their dogs leave, when I don’t have one and the beer bottles from the beverages I didn’t ingest. Other more personal items were found too, some too personal to say out loud. Ugh. But then there is talking over the fence and catching up with people I haven’t talked to since last fall.

It became warm enough to open the windows. It is a quiet Sunday. We could hear the birds singing. Few cars drove by. But then the motor cycles, laughing , talking, griping of my neighbor at the teen, raking, more griping, smells of outdoor cooking, birds singing, dogs barking, and lastly music being played on a guitar.

Its busy out there. People are happy. The birds are going nuts singing, We are all intoxicated by these first moments in the spring sun.

Vicki