Monday I hurried to wash at least some of the sheets so I could hang them outside. While I was outside I was amazed to see so much growth in the gardens. Between Monday and now we have had varying amounts of rain. I can hardly believe this. Most of the trees and bushes have leaves. The apricots and some other stone fruit trees are in bloom. Daffodils and tulips are looking gorgeous. All of this is happening before our last possible day of frost. Tech- nically we could still have snow. I hope we do not and I fervently hope this is truly an early spring. I think part of the reason the tulips and daffodils are looking so spec- tacular is because we have not had our usual long, cold spring. This year, our spring seems more like what is typical of areas to the south of us.

As I hung sheets to dry Monday, I heard a woodpecker working in a nearby tree. My curiosity quickly got the better of me; I just had to see who was there. It was this little downy woodpecker. It even gave me enough time to get the camera and switch out the lens for the telephoto one.