My sap must be rising

It stopped raining (after 2.6") and I can't stay inside—I keep making little trips out in the garden. I've checked all the hellebores again, pulled a bunch of windthrown branches off of them, and glared menacingly at some weeds. Big fat buds are starting to open. I looked out back this morning before the rain stopped and saw both my witch hazels are blooming—yay! It seems like they're a little bit earlier this year, but I didn't write it down last year so I'm just guessing. Hooray, color in the garden! Daffodil tips have broken ground—and that's pretty much it for now. So I should be able to sit still, but I can't! I tried a little painting work, then the sun came out and I had to get out in that. We're supposed to get two dry days starting day after tomorrow, I'll be out there weeding if it's not too cold, windy, or smoky.

And tomorrow I'm going for the first plant-shopping trip of the year with three other plant addicts—maybe that's why I can't concentrate! I'm frapturous.

 Ring Thing

Yesterday while it rained I finished putting together my first larger glass piece for my garden. If you look very closely at this photo you can see a thin rectangular wrought iron frame, with four fused glass rings tied into it with copper wire. While the sun was peeping intermittently through the selfish clouds this afternoon, I walked all over the garden with it, looking for a relatively uncluttered place to photograph it, maybe with a bit of sunshine on it if any could get through. Turns out I have no nice uncluttered backgrounds, just my dark green house and dark brown barn, but I did figure out where I want to put the Ring Thing—at the front entrance to my future meditation garden, which will materialize a year or two from now.

I actually got a really nice feeling of satisfaction when I finished putting the piece together. It's the first time I've ever assembled anything like that, and that feeling made me eager to do another one. It might be time to start pulling out pieces of the filbert wood I put away last fall, and see what it will take to put something together that will hold some glass. That will be more work than just repurposing another candle stand, but it could be a logical progression. I know one thing—I want the next one to be taller, so it's easier to see against the sky.