I really enjoyed my house over the winter. The gas fireplace was on pretty much all the time, and if I forgot, Zak would remind me. He loves to bark at the flame! But this Spring I came to a whole new appreciation for my yard! Never much of a gardener, I planted hostas and day lilies and FINALLY got a hydrangea to bloom - just last year. But the previous owners of this home had an absolutely gorgeous perennial garden and it has been a thrill to see new life emerging all Spring. First it was the daffodils. Then the bleeding hearts and other blooming shrubs exploded. Hostas line the border - perfectly spaced. Purple and white ground cover is sooo pretty. Irises are now blooming, with more to come. I added a couple of hydrangeas and two hanging baskets and - well, it's like a park! Never would I have dreamt that I'd ever have a yard so lovely. My hammock is my happy place. I have, unfortunately, found several wood ticks in the sheets (ugh!!) But we are LOVING our yard. When I'm inside, Scarlett and Zak happily lounge on the back deck. We miss our Moorhead neighbors terribly and I (surprisingly) miss living on a busy street with lots of activity. But we are enjoying our new home very much. 
We are still in the pre-bug season (although I'm starting to swat mosquitos) and I could sit out there all afternoon with a book. With the dog fence that I put in, Scarlett and Zak are able to run and chase each other all through the yard and I don't have to worry about them getting into neighboring lawns.
Last week we had our first REAL Minnesota company! (I've had several other friends visit who I knew from Minnesota, but they now live other places such as Iowa or North Carolina.) But last week my friend Cindy came for a long weekend and it was SOOO good to have her here. Good to be able to have conversation with someone who has known me longer than six months! Good to get her perspective on some hard things that have happened over the past couple months. Good to be reminded that true friends do not abandon you when life gets hard; they come alongside you and walk with you through the storm. That's the kind of friend that Cindy is and it was wonderful having her here. As you can see, Zak thought it was wonderful too and he decided she was his 'new best friend'. 
We went to Holland for Tulip Time on Saturday (that will be my next blog post) and on Sunday just hung around Goshen, went to Shanklin Park to watch the geese (the babies had more than doubled in size since the previous weekend) and walked around Fidler's Pond. Fidler's Pond is a nice walk and everyone talks about how peaceful it is but they neglect to mention the railroad tracks that run right next to the pond! I don't think I've been there yet when there hasn't been at least one train coming through. Oh well .... Spring is finally here to stay and we're loving it.
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