Oh my aching back...

I am having a tough time getting out of a chair; an even harder time standing up straight. My thighs are singing and tomorrow is going to be worse. I should have been hitting the gym over the winter, doing squats, but that would have meant going out in the snow, if my kids didn't have some sort of athletic endeavor, so that didn't happen. But it's all worth it because it means I've hit another spring rite of passage--the de-winterizing of my beloved flower beds.

I spent the better part of 7 hours today bending, stooping, sitting. I pulled all the weeds that got neglected last year. I did my final dead-heading of the plants that flowered late into the fall. I cut back most of my decorative grasses. I still have to trim up some of my shrubs, but that will wait for another day.

This all heralds good news. First, it was actually warm enough to be out there today without a jacket.. Yahoo! (of course, it also means I'll be loaded with freckles by Monday. Grrr) Second, I had insect activity (worms and such) which means the soil is healthy. I saw very little root-rot, which means I lost little in the way of stock. And most importantly, my hyacinths, tulips, and daffodils are pushing up through the remnants of the mulch (another chore-ugh), my salvia is raring to go; my irises and daylilies are looking good. My dogwood tree is laden with ripening flower pods. My lilacs and forsythia are on the brink! Oh the glory I will have in a few short weeks. I will share. Spring has sprung!