Think Spring!

It's been an exciting week for me. You might remember that I took my board exams last October and November, and this past Monday I received my results: I passed! I am now a board certified ocularist, complete with letters after my name. I received my diploma from the American Society of Ocularists last year (which gives me more letters after my name), so now when I sign my name it reads "Lindsay Wagner Pronk, B.A.D.O., B.C.O." (Board Approved Diplomate Ocularist and Board Certified Ocularist, respectively) Pretty impressive, huh?

The weather is starting to warm up and feel like spring, although I can't complain after having such a mild winter. Today it is sunny and warm (it should reach the sixties) but with the spring comes the wind, so it's a bit blustery. But that wind combined with the sun makes for a perfect day to hang clothes on the line! Every spring I get excited to do this, to cut my laundry time in half and have fresh smelling clothes.

If I still wasn't sure if spring had arrived, this sight convinced me:

It's small and hard to see, but the little red dot is a bulb making it's way through the soil. I couldn't tell you what it is because I planted to so many last fall, but I'm just happy it's making an appearance. The weather is supposed to hold this week, so I'm going to buy some mulch and lay it down to make it look pretty and keep the weeds down. Now that the chickens have gone, I don't have to worry about all the mulch ending up in the yard.

Speaking of chickens, I was at Theisen's today (the local farm store) and they are having their chick days; several bins of baby ducks and chicks for sale. They are so darn cute with all that fluff and the chirping that it really made me miss our chickens. They only sell meat birds so I wasn't tempted to buy any chicks, but it really hit me how much I will miss having them around. Sure they poop everywhere and scratch through my garden and mulch and make a mess, but there is something about going outside and hearing them clucking and moving around in a flock. I even like the rooster, walking tall and crowing randomly throughout the day. I'm sure we'll have chickens again someday, when we've forgotten what a pain in the ass they are and when we figure out a better protection plan.