Springtime

Sigh. I love the spring! Actually, I’m a 4 seasons girl, I love them all. But I think spring and fall are the only 2 seasons I’m sad to see evolve into summer and winter, respectively. As the days grow gradually warmer and brighter, I can feel my spirit lifting as well. Warm sunshine, cheerful birds chirping, the fresh scent in the air after it rains, strawberries melting in my mouth, color returning everywhere … this is what I love about spring. But my favorite part is the new life.

Have you ever seen a killdeer? I hadn’t, not until I moved out to the ranch, and I’m absolutely fascinated by them. They can fly, but also spend a lot of time on the ground, running around on their long spindly legs. They even nest on the ground. Every year I try to find a nest of eggs all by myself, and so far I have failed. The eggs pictured above were discovered by my father-in-law. As you can see, they’re not the easiest thing to spot. But killdeer parents have very interesting behavior — when you’re near their nest or young ones, they pretend to have a broken wing and try to lead you away from the nest. I know I’ve been close so many times … maybe this year I’ll find them myself. Read more about killdeer.

Isn’t new life just wonderful? I feel so blessed to live where I do, where new life is so abundant in the spring, from killdeer eggs that soon become baby birds, to calves frolicking in the field, cottontail bunnies hopping from sagebrush to sagebrush, and kittens chasing their mom. It’s so fun to watch this yellow desert turn green, to see the leaves budding on the trees and fields grow green, to watch the weeds grow tall, to enjoy the first flowers. Spring means more time outdoors, in the sunshine, enjoying nature. It also means there will soon be more mud puddles, and more pictures like this:

What are your favorite parts of spring?

Oh, and before I forget — congrats to Naomi! She won a $5 coupon to my store for playing along in our quote challenge. Everyone else who played received a 25% off coupon to my store.

Come play along in our inspiration challenge … use 100% designs by SuzyQ Scraps and receive a 40% off coupon. Challenge ends 3/21 at 11:59 pm Eastern.

And there’s still time to play in the monthly challenge — this month we’re scrapping what makes us happy, and you don’t have to use my designs to qualify for the discount coupon. One winner will receive a $10 coupon to my store! Check this post for details.