Spring is near!

Oh my goodness, I am alive!  Thank goodness the flu is gone, the freezing cold is gone although replaced by constant rain.  The rain is the signal that Spring is on its way!  We have sprung forward with our clocks so everyone is walking around like zombies in the mornings and laying in bed trying to force ourselves to fall asleep at night. 
We have "planted" the bottom pole to our Purple Martin house in cement in the appropriated place in the yard.  I am super excited that we are putting a Purple Martin house up.  We love to bird watch.  We have a couple of different bird houses up in the yard here and there already that get used ever spring but this is our first Purple Martin house.  Actually its more like a hotel, it will hold 12 nests.  I am thrilled because I understand that they eat mosquitoes I really hope we attract 12 VERY HUNGRY Purple Martins.  One day this week when the rain is not so bad we will raise the remaining 15 feet of pole with the house on it; it's kind of hard to do sinking in the mud though.  So we are praying for one clear day.
We have several feeding stations for our many types of birds in our yard as well, we enjoy watching them and we do get quite a variety especially for being in the "city".  Our constant birds are three variety of Woodpeckers, Chick-a-dees, Hummingbirds, several variety of Finches, Dove, (ugly black birds), Cardnals, Robin, Blue Jay,  Mocking birds and etc.  Too many to remember.  The funny thing to me is the most feisty of all the birds mentioned are the Hummingbirds, they are stinking mean!  I always thought of them as sweet little cute birds, no they are the boxers of the bird world, they fight a lot, they try to hurt one another and are quite greedy. 
The fact that my yard is a riot of beautiful flowering gardens probably helps attract the birds and I will take credit for that.  I planned my gardens years ago and worked hard to make them into what they are.  I have needed to be out in them already this year but the weather has not cooperated at all.  I am hoping to get out Friday or Saturday this week to get them all cleaned up.  I managed to get my Heather cleaned up last weekend so it will grow nicely, it will smother easily under pine straw if you aren't careful (at least here in the south) and I do love my Heather.  Happy coming Springtime!