Spring Buds and Dog Treats

A few days ago while walking down the driveway to get the mail (in the country most everyone has a mailbox at the road) I stopped to look at some of the lilac bushes that run along the front of our property. Over the years I have noticed that the buds of many trees and bushes start to grow during February, and our lilacs are full of big ones waiting for the command to open up. After months of snow and cold, seeing those large buds brought a smile to my face. Finally, some proof that the snow and ice and cold that surrounds us will not remain forever. After over a year of living in this part of Iowa it has become very apparent why there are so many wind farms dotting the landscape here and there. The last little snow storm that came through a few days ago dropped less than an inch of snow but the wind blew so fiercely that it created drifts here and there around the place over two feet high. Our two dogs, Marley and Steve, have discovered an outdoor snack of almost unlimited supply, namely rabbit poop. They sniff along with their noses down, eating the little pellets as they go. We have called them off, only for them to give us hurt looks then sneak off to an area of the property where we can’t see them to continue the feast. If only the rabbits would clean up after the dogs we would have a nice little system operating out here.