Feels like spring

I know spring is still a while off, but it sure felt like spring last Friday. Not only did I get to ride the motorcycle into town to go to the bank but I got to sit out in the back yard to soak up the sun and the changes I thought I could feel in the air.

First I saw a fly. I could have waited a few more months for that. Next I watched as a squirrel tried to cross our busy road and he made it. That is the first squirrel I've seen in a few months.

Next, our daughter showed me a baby rolly polly. It was so small that until it started walking around on her hand, I wasn't sure it really was a bug. I guess I had never thought about sow bugs and how they must be babies before they turn in to adults and the size I am used to seeing.

Next a whole bunch of red robins flew into the poplar tree next to me. I had to guess that they were all males because a gray smaller bird flew by and one of the males left to occupy a different tree with her. Then another gray small bird flew past and off went another robin with her. Soon all the boys that had landed in the poplar tree were all paired up in other trees on our property.

At 4 p.m. I am on the look out for the pair of golden eagles that seem to fly over my neighbors roof like clockwork everyday, and sure enough today I was not disappointed. They are my favorite bird to watch because of their large wingspan. There is also a pair of hawks who are taking up residence in the elm tree down the road. I see them flying around the neighborhood often throughout the day. And, Wednesday in the wee hours I heard the great horned owl hoo-hooing outside my bedroom window. I guess I can't end this article without at least mentioning the packs of coyotes that sound like they are in my back yard yipping several times each night. It is so wonderful to live out in the country and hear animals instead of traffic.

Update on Jenee

Jenee is home from the hospital and back at school. She has even put on a couple of the pounds she lost. Popsicles are a great invention, aren't they? Thank you to all of you who called and stopped by to check on her. My advice, if you don't have to go out in public, don't. And, if you have to, use the hand sanitizer, often.

-- Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.