Last Hurrah

Today will be the last 70F day until May or June next year. What a treat it’s been to have several in a row. We took advantage and finished the bigger tasks on our to-do list for winter • I enjoyed two surprises today, although one was concerning. The first is this cutie, a red-breasted nuthatch! We saw our first one only two years ago. A pair stayed for the fall and winter, but sadly we didn’t have any last year. I’ve been wishing and looking for them and today I was rewarded :) The other even bigger surprise was seeing a Monarch Butterfly!! Yes, you read that correctly! While MrsP and I were putting stakes around the driveway (for snowplowing markers), a monarch fluttered by. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It visited what few dandelion flowers we have in the grass. Poor dear, I don’t know where it will find enough nourishment to make its journey south. It’s so late!! I hope it survives • We’re already stressing about tomorrow’s mid-term elections…