It looks like Ellie will…

It looks like Ellie will be okay; we've been calling and checking every few hours, and they say she's been resting quietly, taking her medicine calmly, eating well. That she mostly looks bored, which is just fine. When Kevin wakes up, we'll go get her.

We're of course very relieved that she's okay. The whole thing has been tremendously draining.

One small consolation has been that the weather has been unreal; almost eighty yesterday. We did a few errands, and I worked in the garden. It's getting closer to ready for spring -- everything you can see to the right is straightened up, with fresh soil and mulch and fertilizer. I cut back some of the roses yesterday; I'll probably do the rest today. There's some more straightening up to do, but not much.

From left to right, the plan is: just out of view, a hanging basket of roses (Happy Chappy), California poppies and other wildflowers; morning glory and moonflower to ramble along the fence, butterfly bush (which hopefully survived from last year). Then in the corner planter, honeysuckle, azalea (which looks like it lived from last year), climbing rose, (Joseph's Coat) and shrub rose (something red). The shrub rose looks like it's got buds going; we're not so certain about the climber. Fingers crossed. That'll be underplanted with million bells and lantana -- that's all the same as last year, because it looked so lovely, though I'm hoping for either mandarin or scarlet honeysuckle this time. Then the more formal hybrid tea roses, Just Joey and a few others whose names I can't remember, in shades of apricot and orange and red. Forsythia. And in the little round planter, a variety of thymes, with a sundial, to make a 'time garden'. Succulents underneath, a little piece of desert. Just going up there and looking around at all the potential waiting makes me feel better. Calmer.

It's so heartening, seeing the small signs of life. A few bulbs (iris, I think), pushing their way up through the soil. Next year I need to remember to plant spring crocus, because it'd make me awfully happy to see them right now, and they're definitely starting to bloom around the city. The bushes and trees are budding as well -- the lilac is starting to look very green, and the forsythia is just aching to bloom. You can tell. The weeping cherry buds haven't started opening yet, but the branches are absolutely covered in buds. This crazy weather won't last -- by the weekend, we'll be back to high 40's. But right now, spring is definitely here, and most welcome.