March Winds and April Showers

We have been wanting a warm, gentle, Irish rain to get the perennials starting to push up out of the ground.

We do have snowdrops in bloom in the front of the house.  Every year they make my heart sing.

 The winds have been blowing but this afternoon a big storm came down the valley and dumped hail on us.  After lunch, I had started to clean up a section of the garden here along our path to the back door at the B/B where we are renting, and fortunately I had put the gleanings into an old garbage can.   I had to run out in the hail-storm to put the lid on the barrel though, in case it blew over and rolled away, scattering my work.  The storm lasted about an hour but I don't think it did any particular damage although we will check out our pickup in the morning, as we want a new one anyhow.  Below is an image of what it started to look like shortly after it began.  And tomorrow Spring is supposed to start.

  It was difficult to see across the street.  And now the hullaballoo is over.

Yesterday I took a neighbourhood child out to a horse camp where I had arranged for her to have a bursary membership during our public schools' Spring Break to learn Horsemanship Skills.  Social Services and Canadian Tire provide funds for sports camps.

She has always wanted to learn about horses so she will be able to find out if she still likes them after she has to clean their hooves and shovel their droppings and  haul it all away.  Then she will be allowed to get up on a horse and try to steer it.

 It is difficult for single mothers to tend to children by themselves on limited funds.  Above is her mom finally soaking up some sun but we stayed inside the porch as it was still too cold outside.  Her daughter, Trinity, turned 8 last week so I booked/paid to have her ears pierced, which she really, really wanted to have done.  Her mom wanted her to have her birthstone, aquamarines, but she opted for red ones.  She was very brave.