A Likely Pair

I had a very nice herbal today from The English Tea Shop.  It is a mix of Lemongrass and Ginger, which is its name.  I brewed it with boiling water for about 5 minutes.  Although there is no sweetener listed, the resulting brew was quite sweet.  The lemongrass and ginger were in a perfect balance, with neither one being too aggressive.  This would make a lovely summer ice tea for you herbal drinkers.  Even for me, when I don't want caffeine.  In fact, I have some in the fridge right now, as it is a warm, warm Spring day.

My, yes, Spring is taking off.  The skunk cabbage is unfurling its bright bright green leaves - a sure sign the season has arrived!  The willows are yellowing, a few are almost green.  Some of the trees are pushing out fat red buds, the understory is turning its twigs red as well.  Two of my hollyhocks are up and the first tiny frilly-pleated fans of the lupines are showing.  I think  all  my berries survived and my poor pathetic little tree that got broken, tornadoed and eaten off twice is showing some buds.  I've seen the first daffodils, but no crocus yet.  Up here on our hill, things are a bit slower than 200 feet below us near the river, but we're doing just fine.  And the sun is shining, what more can I ask for?

I guess the crows want more as they have been having a 2 day discussion of something important, judging by the racket they are making.  The grackles are back!  They are so beautiful, their feathers are an incredibly shiny iridescent blue black - more blue on their heads. The tiny little titmouse has been singing away by the feeder.  It's actually more of a whistle, but it's pretty.

I'm not sure St. Barbara has a lot to do with Spring, but I love the fact that a Swiss museum paints its walls orange