dirt don't hurt

So, here I am again with my hands all day in the dirt. So, much work. My back is sore, my arms ache from pulling the weeds... the never ending weeds. The sun is out again, with warmth I haven't felt since fall. Sweat and dirt, in a t-shirt. Dogs running laps around the garden. Iris' are starting to pop up. Little white flowers that look like bells are the first to grace our garden. Next I think will be daffodils, they are just on the verge of opening up. One more sunny day.
On the hills around our house, still blankets of snow, but here only warm dirt, and birds. So many birds. We filled the birdbath with water, and we have not been disappointed. They sit on the fence beside it and take turns. Splashing so much water, it's hard to believe there is enough water left to bathe. They jump in and hop up and down. Bright yellow little birds mostly, and some mountain bluebirds, which are electric blue. They chirp and sing, and sit in the tree tops surrounding me.
Today while I was trimming the butterfly trees back I heard a high pitched scream. Looking up there were 3 Red tailed Hawks circling above. Circling round and round, legs stretched down, as if to hold something while in flight, but nothing in their claws. I looked around, for a moment wondering if they were coming for me. Beautiful, big, powerful birds.
Thinking of powerful birds... 2 days ago Zach and I saw a bald eagle circling a field near the house. Those are big... they sit 3 feet tall, wing spans of 6 feet.
It's getting dark and I am getting increasingly tired. I am sitting on the porch watching the sun cast a familiar alpen glow over mount shasta. We are west of the mountain. So, in the evening it casts a glow on the mountain as the sun drops behind the coastal mountains. The air is getting an icy chill, a sharp contrast from the warm day. Reminding me that it is not yet Spring. I will soon go inside and make a fire to keep warm.


Zach went snowmobiling today with friends. They were going to ride the Eddy's, a mountain range to the South-west of us.
We are both great. Zach will go back to mammoth mountain this weekend with the snowboard team.
We hope to make it up to Bend for a visit soon. The temperature gets cold fast in the evening... I am heading inside.