Saturday evening in springtime

Good Saturday evening, everyone! 

It's been absolutely gorgeous here today despite the pollen covering everything. We're  smack in the middle of pollen season (already!), meaning everything has been absolutely covered in a thick layer of the greenish-yellow stuff, but last night we got high winds and then a heavy rain and so (for the moment at least) everything looks washed clean and fresh. It won't last, but for a few hours at least the pollen was tamed.

Here's an actual image taken from the air off the coast of Myrtle Beach last week. Look at that massive film of yellow on the surface of the water!

Thank goodness that I didn't test positive for any allergies to tree pollen. My triggers were grass, dust, mold, cats, and dogs. People that are allergic to pine and oak are really suffering right now and I'm glad I managed to escape that, at least. I've been going faithfully for my weekly allergy shots for months now, so hopefully soon I won't react to anything anymore! 

The early spring progress continues. Early flowering trees like Japanese magnolia are past done and already getting a flush of new green leaves. Yellow jessamine is already rampant and wisteria has started to bloom. Even the daffodils are past their prime, and it's only the first week of March! 

I forget what these flowering shrubs in the front of our house are called, but aren't they pretty right now?

Another view:

Here's my newest finished garden project: a cage to protect the tender new crabapple leaves (once they appear) from hungry deer. It's firmly staked down with three metal garden stakes, and I think it should do the trick. Take that, deer!

Speaking of garden projects, a few of my tomato seedlings are almost big enough to pot up! The peppers didn't germinate at all, so I'll be trying again with those tomorrow.

The lettuce, radishes, and carrots are already sprouting in the raised bed. It won't be long before I'll have fresh salads to add to my daily lunches. I'm really excited about that.

Is it spring yet where you are? Or are you still buried in snow, ice, and frost? If so, I apologize for my photos. I'm not trying to rub it in, I promise!

Have a great weekend, everyone.